Murder on the Orient Express is a 1974 murder mystery based on the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The film stars Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, the legendary mild-mannered detective from over seventy Agatha Christie stories. In this installment, Poirot finds himself on a train headed for England after his latest case in the Middle East. Aboard the train, a wealthy businessman named Ratchett (Richard Widmark) approaches Poirot for help. Ratchett has received several death threats, and would like Poirot to discern who the sender is. Poirot is uninterested in the case and refuses to help. Unfortunately, Ratchett is soon found murdered in his cabin, and Poirot is forced to solve the murder he might have prevented. Poirot's long list of suspects features an all-star cast, including Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, and Sean Connery. Murder on the Orient Express is the most critically acclaimed of all the film adaptations of Christie's mysteries, earning six Academy Award nominations in 1975.moreless