Ranking the best Agatha Christie movie adaptations

Agatha Christie was still writing books well into her 80s, and this film is based on one of her last releases, published in 1967. It’s more of a psychological thriller than her earlier work, which has made it divisive among her fans. Hayley Mills plays an American heiress who marries a British chauffeur from a working-class background. After she buys them a parcel of land that’s supposedly cursed murderous hijinx are soon afoot, leading to the kind of twisty ending you’d expect from a Christie story. But without a detective around to make clever quips and solve the mystery, it lacks that special spark that makes her work so compelling.

Branagh’s second Agatha Christie adaptation, Death On The Nile, traded in the same simple pleasures as his first, but less effectively. Once again he transports an ensemble of familiar faces—including Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey, Russell Brand, Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo, Letitia Wright, and, unfortunately, Armie Hammer—via an exotic conveyance that provides the backdrop for a murder investigation. Branagh once again takes the lead as detective Hercule Poirot, and once again falls short of better interpretations, eccentricities and all. Even the reunion of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as a nurse and her aristocrat-turned-communist employer doesn’t do much to increase the charm factor of this rather flat affair.

The Agatha Christie story this is based on, After The Funeral, originally featured Hercule Poirot as the central investigator, but Murder At The Gallop turns the yarn into a Miss Marple mystery. Dame Margaret Rutherford had already appeared as the amateur sleuth in Murder, She Said (yes, that was the inspiration for Murder, She Wrote), so this was a sequel of sorts (there were four of them in this particular run). More of a lighthearted comedy than a suspense thriller, the case involves the death of wealthy recluse Mr. Enderby, whose fatal fall down a flight of stairs is attributed to a heart attack. Miss Marple suspects foul play, of course, and is further convinced when Mr. Enderby’s sister Cora is also found dead. There’s a reading of a will, another victim trampled by a horse (this is a comedy, we swear), a fake heart attack, and ultimately a captured killer.

The third film to feature Dame Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, Murder Most Foul is as extra as its Shakespearean name would imply. Loosely based on Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, it once again replaces Poirot with Miss Marple as the detective. When Miss Marple finds herself on the jury in a murder trial (who thought that was a good idea?) she suspects the defendant is innocent, and sets out to prove it. She does this by going undercover as an actor and joins a theater troupe that may include the real murderer. There’s lots of fun theatrical references in the film, including to Rutherford’s first outing as Marple in Murder, She Said and Christie’s long-running play The Mousetrap (which is still on in the West End).

Branagh launched his Christie series with this adaptation of Murder On The Orient Express, one of the author’s most famous works. The murder in this case takes place on a train, and if you don’t already know the twist, we’re not going to spoil it for you. Branagh’s thoughtful and artistic directing style isn’t a natural fit for this material, which is surprising, as he’s proven in the past he knows how to build tension (if you haven’t seen Dead Again, do yourself a favor and track it down). His Poirot also lacks the kookiness (not to mention the famously twirled mustache) of his predecessors. He does get one thing right though, putting together a stellar cast that includes Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, and Olivia Colman.

This mystery with an intriguing title (referring to the victim’s enigmatic last words) was first adapted in 1980, but this recent version, written and directed by Hugh Laurie for BritBox, is quite delightful. It stars Will Poulter as Bobby Jones, the man who hears these words from a stranger after he falls off a cliff on a golf course. A photograph of a woman found in the dead man’s pocket sets Bobby off on a crime-solving adventure with his partner, socialite Lady Frances “Frankie” Derwent (Lucy Boynton). Full of fun banter and charming period details, this three-part limited series is a great example of a modern production that gets Christie right.

Murder, She Said (yes, that was the inspiration for Murder, She Wrote) introduced Dame Margaret Rutherford as amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple (the first time she was depicted on screen). In this one, based on the book 4.50 from Paddington, she witnesses a woman being murdered on a train, though the police don’t take her seriously when she reports the crime. So she goes undercover as a housekeeper at the manor where she believes the woman’s body was discarded. Rutherford’s Marple was so popular she would go on to play her in three more films.

Peter Ustinov returns to the role of Poirot after his winning portrayal in the 1978 version of Death On The Nile. If you’ve seen Glass Onion, you’ll immediately notice the stylistic influences here. Like that film, this one is set on a sunkissed private island where the Belgian detective arrives to investigate a potential diamond theft. But when one of the guests is found dead on a nearby beach, it becomes a murder case. Maggie Smith plays the owner of the resort, alongside a fantastic ensemble of suspects that includes Jane Birkin, Roddy McDowall, and Diana Rigg. Following this film, Ustinov would go on to play Poirot in a series of made-for-TV movies and one more feature, Appointment With Death in 1988.

Of all of Christie’s works, And Then There Were None is the most frequently adapted for stage and screen (and the Nintendo Wii). There are international versions from India (Gumnaam) and Russia (Desyat’ Negrityat), and many TV movies and episodes based on it. It’s sometimes known by its alternate title, Ten Little Indians (an alternate for another grossly inappropriate title we won’t mention), the appeal of this mystery is the rhythm of the suspects being picked off one by one, each tied to a line of a children’s poem and represented by a disappearing figurine from a display on the dining room table. This latest version, written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Craig Viveiros, is the first English adaptation to use Christie’s original, much darker, ending. There’s no detective in this one, just a team from Scotland Yard trying to put the pieces together. The cast of this version includes Charles Dance, Douglas Booth, Maeve Dermody, Burn Gorman, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor, and Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard.

Crooked House is one of those rare Christie adaptations that doesn’t feature Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple. Instead, it’s spy-turned-private-detective Charles Hayward (Max Irons) who’s on the case. When his ex-lover recruits him to investigate her grandfather’s death he becomes embroiled in a family dispute that may uncover dark secrets. Whereas Glass Onion was inspired by Evil Under The Sun, this one could be a spiritual predecessor to Knives Out. Glenn Close plays the family matriarch, alongside Christina Hendricks as the much younger widow of the deceased, Julian Sands as his son, and Gillian Anderson as his daughter in law. This is another one with a classic Christie twist.

Before she played Miss Marple clone Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, Angela Landsbury got to portray the original in this star-studded adaptation. Maybe star-studded is too tame a phrase for this production of The Mirror Crack’d. Star-bedazzled is more like it. We’re talking Liz Taylor, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Geraldine Chaplin—it’s an embarrassment of riches and high class cattiness. The case takes Miss Marple to the set of a movie shoot in her quaint village, where an actress (Taylor) believes she’s being targeted by a killer. It’s a fan who winds up poisoned instead, and fortunately the small-town sleuth is already on hand to sort it all out.

This black-and-white version of And Then There Were None from 1945 came out just six years after the book was released and it’s still one of the best interpretations, though it does change the ending to something more upbeat. This production is lighter overall than some of the adaptations that would come, with touches of humor and flashes of wit, like the name U.N. Owen being code for “unknown.” Yet it doesn’t lose any of the original story’s macabre sensibilities. It’s an exhilarating watch, especially if you’re into classic cinema.

This was Peter Ustinov’s first outing as Hercule Poirot, and for many fans it’s still the best interpretation of Christie’s iconic detective (or at least a close second to Albert Finney). Unlike Branagh’s version this Death On The Nile actually takes advantage of the Egyptian scenery the S.S. Karnak passes by on its journey down the famous river. There’s plenty of old-Hollywood glamor here, with Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, and Bette Davis somehow all contained on a single vessel. The case involves the murder of a newly married heiress under suspicious circumstances, including the presence of her new husband’s seemingly unhinged former lover. But, as with all Christie cases, everyone has something to hide. And if you don’t believe us, you might be in ... well, you know.

Director Sydney Lumet’s version of Christie’s classic tale of vengeance and murder earned six Oscar nominations, including one for Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot. Ingrid Bergman won best supporting actress that year for her portrayal of Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson. Lauren Bacall is also on hand. Plus Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, and Michael York, too. Following the book’s narrative, this locked-room mystery gathers together a group of suspects who appear at first to be strangers, but all have a secret connection to a ruthless gangster found dead aboard a train en route to London from Istanbul. Lumet directs the ensemble to perfection, and all the exposition rolls out as smoothly as a luxury train on rails.

Christie actually had a chance to see many adaptations of her works in her lifetime, but this one and the 1974 version of Murder On The Orient Express were the only ones she said she enjoyed. And what’s not to like about this adaptation directed by the great Billy Wilder? With six Oscar nominations, Witness For The Prosecution is tied with Christie’s other favorite, though it didn’t win any. Based on a play rather than a novel, it stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. Power plays a man on trial for the murder of a widow who had named him sole beneficiary in his will. Though he insists he’s innocent, his wife is called to testify that he confessed to her. The film is as much a courtroom drama as it is a murder mystery, and Wilder balances the two with ease. The expertly delivered twists and turns will keep you guessing, right up to the bitter end.