With 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections under her belt, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, outsold only by William Shakespeare and the Bible. She has crafted some of literature’s most beloved fictional characters, like detective Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Her work has influenced over 30 crime-detective films in cinema, not to mention countless TV series and graphic novels. The murders in her stories are cleverly written, and the motives are nasty, making her style feel timeless. That’s why her stories will never go out of style for a good ol’ page-to-screen adaptation. Let’s go over the best Agatha Christie adaptations to date, ranked.
9 Best Agatha Christie Adaptations Worthy of Revisiting
9. The Mirror Crack’d (1980)
As a local woman from an English village is poisoned at a glamorous 1950s Hollywood film crew party, Detective Jane Marple (Angela Lansbury) must find the killer among the celebrities. Marple’s nephew, Inspector Dermot Craddock (Edward Fox) from Scotland Yard, helps her crack the case.
The verbal spat between Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak’s characters is a treat to watch in the movie. However, for the hardcore Christie fans, director Guy Hamilton’s The Mirror Crack’d is likely to be too casual in its adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel. But for less discriminating ones, this movie is a blast of solid entertainment.
8. A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Set in the eerie post-World War II era, A Haunting in Venice is Kenneth Branagh’s third and best attempt at Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot detective film series. Kenneth Branagh plays the famous detective who solves a murder that seems to happen under supernatural circumstances. But he must detest this notion to find the cold-blooded killer.
The cast is joined by Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Kyle Allen, and many more talented actors to give a spine-chilling crime-mystery with a classic whodunit. Director Kenneth Branagh creates a ghostly atmosphere throughout the movie, while Tina Fey provides the comedic relief without undermining the mystery at hand.
7. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
The story takes place on a train journey from Istanbul to London, where detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) investigates the mysterious murder of an unpopular American tycoon, and every rich person is a suspect.
Sydney Lumet’s classic is a stylish adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel with an all-star ensemble cast—including Ingrid Bergman, who took home the Academy Award for her conflicted Swedish missionary, Greta Ohlsson. Those who are unfamiliar with either book or the film are in for a delicious resolution that’ll take your breath away.
6. Murder at the Gallop (1963)
Murder at the Gallop (1963)Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Adapted from Agatha Christie’s book After the Funeral, George Pollock’s Murder at the Gallop follows Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) investigating the death of a wealthy loner, who was supposedly frightened by a cat and fell off the stairs.
This is Margaret Rutherford’s second appearance as Miss Marple, and she owns the role with her wit and razor-sharp investigative skills. Murder at the Gallop is as clever as its source material and even more comedic in certain instances. It’s a proper whodunit with Rutherford in her top form.
5. Evil Under the Sun (1982)
One of Agatha Christie’s favorite detectives, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), arrives at an isolated island resort to investigate the murder of a notorious, seductive actress, Arlena Stuart (Diana Rigg), but every suspect has a perfect alibi.
Peter Ustinov reminds everyone of his charming personality and immaculate command of his language in Evil Under the Sun. Director Guy Hamilton keeps the tension on edge with this hard-to-solve mystery by introducing a perfect alibi system among the supporting cast, so Hercule has to use everything in his arsenal to get to the truth. Moreover, the tension peaks in the last 15 minutes of the movie, which are intensely gripping and were critically praised by renowned critic Roger Ebert.
4. Murder, She Said (1961)
Murder, She Said (1961)Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The iconic Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Marple, who reports witnessing a woman being strangled in a passing car while she was on a train. When the authorities find no evidence, she decides to take the matter into her own hands by going undercover as a maid at Ackenthorpe Hall, where she believes the murder took place.
George Pollock’s mystery comedy spawned three more sequels, as Rutherford’s portrayal of Agatha Christie’s beloved investigator led people to believe that an old, dotty woman is more resourceful than the police.
3. Death on the Nile (1978)
Set in the 1930s in Egypt, Detective Hercule Poirot’s (Peter Ustinov) luxurious vacation on a paddle steamer is disturbed by the murder of a wealthy, newlywed heiress, Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles). Hercule has to find the killer before the boat journey comes to a halt.
The movie has a splendid ensemble cast: Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, and George Kennedy. In John Guillermin’s Death on the Nile, Egypt’s grandeur acts as a character in itself. Given the underwhelming 2022 remake by Kenneth Branagh, Death on the Nile stands out for a good time with considerable wit.
2. And Then There Were None (1945)
And Then There Were None (1945)Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
Director René Clair’s brilliant interpretation of Agatha Christie’s 1939 novel, And Then There Were None, is a stark example of how relentless editing and pacing build and intensify the suspense. This mystery thriller has no spoken dialogue in the first few minutes of the movie and features a different ending from Agatha Christie’s original version.
In the movie, ten strangers are invited to an island by an unknown host, but one by one they are murdered until two survivors are left to uncover the real killer. Even though the film is set on an island, the cinematography and editing will make you claustrophobic.
1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
With a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Billy Wilder’s Witness for the Prosecution is a courtroom drama adapted from Agatha Christie’s highly acclaimed stage play of the same name (that was also adapted from a 1925 short story “Traitor’s Hands”). Moreover, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The movie follows a recovering but brilliant lawyer, Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton), who defends Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), a man accused of killing a wealthy widow, Emily French (Norma Varden), who had named him as the beneficiary in her will. But things take a dramatic twist when Leonard’s own wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich), testifies against him.
Summing It Up
Which Agatha Christie adaptation from the list do you like the most?
Let us know in the comments.
