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Where To Stream Every 'Murder on the Orient Express' Adaptation Ever
Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned murder mystery? No one, that’s who! And that’s why pop culture is packed with super sleuths ranging from the forensics geniuses of the CSI franchise to the protagonists of Sherlock and House M.D.. Even popular true crime podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder have capitalized on our grim love of whodunits. There’s one name, though, that goes at the top of the list of iconic detectives: Hercule Poirot.
Okay, if you’re an American like me, you might not be super familiar with that name. Odds are you are aware of Poirot’s most popular case, Murder on the Orient Express. A-ha! You’ve heard of that! As well you should, as there’s a new big screen adaptation of the mystery starring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot on the horizon.
The 1934 novel from Poirot creator Agatha Christie has become a mainstay of popular culture over the past 80 years. How prevalent is the murder-on-a-train premise? Even sitcoms like 30 Rock and Sabrina the Teenage Witch have paid homage to the classic mystery!
Of course the upcoming movie isn’t the first straight-up adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Far from it! In addition to all those parodies and tributes, the source material has already been adapted once for the big screen and twice for TV. If you’re curious to see how this story has evolved over the decades, we’ve put together a guide to streaming Poirot’s most infamous case.
'Murder on the Orient Express' (1974)
Surprisingly, it took 40 years for this mystery to make its way to the big screen. The 1974 film cast Albert Finney as Poirot and packed the passenger train with stars like Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and Vanessa Redgrave. Finney scored an Oscar nom for his turn in this critically acclaimed adaptation, and Bergman took home a statue for playing the Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson.
If you want to check out how the mystery was solved in the ’70s, you can rent or purchase Murder on the Orient Express on Vudu, Amazon, and iTunes.
'Murder on the Orient Express' (2001)
After the entirely British 1974 feature film, America took a crack at the Christie classic with a 2001 made-for-TV movie starring English actor Alfred Molina as Poirot. This streamlined adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express featured a smaller cast and, in a major departure for the larger Poirot franchise, was set in the present day. Gone is the dapper, extravagantly mustachioed Poirot you’re used to; in his place sits Molina, sporting a totally average suit and modest mustache. And for sitcom fans, you’ll be interested to know that Family Ties matriarch Meredith Baxter is Harriet Belinda Hubbard (previously played by Lauren Bacall).
This adaptation has yet to be officially released anywhere, but, as with most seemingly lost TV artifacts, you can find the whole thing on YouTube.
'Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express' (2010)
Across the pond, Poirot has been a hero in literature and on the small screen for yeeeeears. Agatha Christie’s Poirot ran for 13 series from 1989 to 2013 (!), adapting 70 of the mystery author’s stories. Due to his association with the character for decades, David Suchet is probably the definitive pop culture Poirot. That’s why it’s actually shocking that the most recognizable Poirot didn’t tackle Christie’s most recognizable story until 2010, in the show’s penultimate 12th season! This adaptation has a star-studded cast, including Jessica Chastain, Toby Jones, and Hugh Bonneville.
You can purchase this feature-length episode on iTunes or Amazon, or stream it on Acorn TV. And if you want to watch non-Murder on the Orient Express episodes of Poirot, you can check out the first six series on BritBox.
Where to stream Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express
'Murder on the Orient Express' (2017)
Okay, you can’t stream this one yet as it just hit theaters. This Kenneth Branagh-directed version of the classic crime story is stylish and star-studded (Judi Dench! Penelope Cruz! Josh Gad! Daisy Ridley! Willem Dafoe!), and it’s getting, well, okay reviews. Of course the real main attraction here is Branagh’s Poirot mustache, a logic-defying expanse of silver hair that has conquered the always dapper actor’s face. It’s bigger than Suchet, Molina, and Finney’s staches combined, and deserves an award.
