12 Best Agatha Christie Movies, Ranked

There's something very comforting about curling up with a cozy murder mystery. Easy-going, nostalgic, and usually low on violence after an inciting incident, they can be the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life. Sure, a few people might get killed, but you know that the bad guys will (almost) always get their comeuppance and order in the movie's self-contained world will be restored by the time the credits roll. Little wonder that the format enjoyed a resurgence during the pandemic with millions seeking solace from the likes of "Murder, She Wrote" and "Columbo." These old shows are so relaxing, their modern-day equivalents like "Poker Face" even helped me beat insomnia a few years back.

Although the term "cozy mystery" didn't exist when she was writing, Agatha Christie is now regarded as the mother of the format. After introducing Hercule Poirot in her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" in 1920, she published a further 65 books, 14 short stories, and stage plays including the record-setting "The Mousetrap." She debuted a second beloved sleuth, Miss Marple, in 1930's "The Murder at the Vicarage," and the immense popularity of her work made her the best-selling novelist of all time.

While there have been plenty of variations, the classic Christie mystery is a cunning crime set in the world of the wealthy where everyone has a motive as well as an alibi. Half the fun is trying to piece together the clues and crack the case before the detective brings it all together for the final reveal. Christie's stories adapt well to the screen, and there have been numerous film versions around the world. For the sake of brevity, let's stick to the English language and take a look at the 12 best Agatha Christie movies so far.

"The Mirror Crack'd" was Guy Hamilton's first of two Agatha Christie adaptations, and he was perhaps a strange fit. Better known for his Bond films, the director admitted he didn't like the author's novels but he also argued that made him the perfect fit to adapt them for the big screen. The results were mixed, and his slightly mocking approach to "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" is at odds with the sad denouement of a mystery centered on a psychologically brittle actress who may be the target of a poisoning plot.

Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury) is sidelined for most of the movie after an accident (true to the book but unsatisfactory on screen) leaving her nephew, Inspector Dermot Craddock (Edward Fox), to ask the questions when murder comes to their village during a big Hollywood location shoot. The whole film looks somewhat off; the story takes place in 1953, but it carries on looking just like we're in 1980. That's a small but disorienting point, compounded by Hamilton's roster of '50s Hollywood stars (Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Kim Novak), all 20 years past their prime and acting like they're in an episode of "Dynasty."

Thankfully, a cast this hammy can't avoid generating a few sparks in an otherwise sluggish mystery. Taylor and Novak are deliciously venomous as they throw bitchy remarks at each other, and Curtis goes big as a cartoonish film producer. "The Mirror Crack'd" was meant to be the first of a three-picture deal for Lansbury as Miss Marple, who plays her shrewd and nosy as Christie intended. The movie was not a success and sequels never materialized, but it still served as a warm-up for "Murder, She Wrote" a few years later.

First published in 1949, Agatha Christie regarded "Crooked House" as a personal favorite among her own novels. Yet despite the enduring popularity of the book, it took almost 70 years to get this feature film version. Written by Julian Fellowes of "Downton Abbey" fame, it is perhaps the bleakest Christie adaptation to date, a factor that makes it a refreshing change from the coziness we usually expect.

Taking its title from the children's nursery rhyme "There Was a Crooked Man," private detective Charles Heyward (Max Irons) is hired by his old flame Sophia Leonides (Stephanie Martini) to investigate the suspicious death of her tycoon grandfather. Off we go to the Leonides estate, a huge and fading country mansion where we get to meet the rest of Sophia's unhappy and spiteful clan. Needless to say, everyone had a motive and a means of bumping off the old man.

Under the subdued direction of Gilles Paquet-Brenner ("Dark Places"), "Crooked House" is a somber slow-burner with handsome production values that can't quite shake the feeling of a feature-length TV episode –- indeed, it never received a theatrical release. Irons is a bland lead and it's left to the supporting cast to liven things up, most notably Glenn Close as a formidable aunt who enjoys blasting pesky moles in the garden with a shotgun, and Gillian Anderson as a sozzled former actress. Both do an enjoyable amount of scenery chewing to stop the movie flatlining before it rouses itself in the third act, suddenly accelerating towards a pleasingly dark conclusion. Watch out for that huge plot hole, though — it's big enough to drive a car into.

Venice is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world, but a visit is always tinged with sadness: The sinking city may well be underwater by the turn of the next century. It makes for an evocative cinematic backdrop and many of its best film appearances have an appropriately elegiac atmosphere, such as "Death in Venice" and "Don't Look Now." Kenneth Branagh followed suit in the downbeat "A Haunting in Venice," relocating the main plot points of "Hallowe'en Party" to the photogenic city on the lagoon and adding a supernatural element. 

Branagh's third Agatha Christie adaptation finds her Belgian sleuth in a sad mood, living in semi-reclusive retirement in Venice after World War II. Yet mystery is never far away wherever Monsieur Poirot goes on his travels, and his curiosity is soon piqued by a reputedly haunted palazzo and a spiritual medium suspected as a fraud. The British director's Poirot films have certainly been darker than the Peter Ustinov era, and "A Haunting in Venice" is positively spooky thanks to its dash of horror. Unfortunately, while the ghostly premise makes for an intriguing departure from the usual Christie fare, the story never really gets out of second gear. Casting is also relatively low-key this time around with Tina Fey as a boastful crime novelist and Michelle Yeoh as the elusive clairvoyant. 

It's a shame because the performances are thoughtful and the film looks gorgeous. Branagh's regular cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, really makes the most of the location, capturing the melancholy atmosphere of an autumnal Venice with his sumptuous photography. Ultimately, it's a movie I'd like to climb into and take a wander around to see if there's anything more interesting going on away from the ponderous mystery.

"Murder at the Gallop" is the second of four Miss Marple adaptations starring the wonderful Margaret Rutherford. The mystery itself isn't quite as intriguing as its predecessor, but it's still a breezy adventure that sees everybody involved really settling into the groove. George Pollock keeps things light in his return to the director's chair and composer Ron Goodwin's theme (more on him later) sets the jovial tone once again. We get straight down to business as Miss Marple is on hand to witness a murder, this time of a wealthy recluse whom she suspects was deliberately frightened to death by a cat. His despised relatives all stand to benefit from his passing and are therefore in the frame. Affable Inspector Craddock (Charles Tingwell) typically fails to take Miss Marple's theory seriously, so, swinging her cape like a superhero, she sets out to investigate with her fellow murder mystery addict Mr. Stringer (Stringer Davis, Rutherford's real-life husband).

Based on "After the Funeral" (a Poirot case), "Murder at the Gallop" trots along very amiably indeed. A major strong point is that we spend more time with Mr. Stringerthan before, a character invented for the movies at Rutherford's request. As Miss Marple's companion, researcher, sidekick, and straight man, the retiring Mr. Stringer makes a charming foil for Rutherford's all-action snoop. Rutherford and Davis started dating in 1930 and married 15 years later, remaining devoted until they passed away in 1972 and 1973, respectively. Their obvious warmth and affection is a delightful highlight of the series.

"Endless Night" was one of Agatha Christie's most acclaimed novels and another personal favorite of hers. It was also a bold change of direction from her usual style, writing from the perspective of a young working-class chauffeur who aspires to build his dream house and settle down with the perfect woman. This psychological approach makes Sidney Gilliat's adaptation play more like a Hitchcockian thriller. We get more than a touch of "Vertigo" by way of Daphne du Maurier (the Master of Suspense directed three screen adaptations of her work), and Bernard Hermann's score completes the connection.

The film starts with a disturbing image and it carries an eerie gothic atmosphere throughout. Hywell Bennett plays our restless protagonist and narrator Michael, pitching his performance in such a way that we're always slightly on edge about him. Bennett was paired again (after "Twisted Nerve") with Hayley Mills as Susan, an American heiress with the wealth to make his dreams come true. Britt Ekland shows up as Susan's disruptive best friend after the couple settle into their space-aged new home, a modernist eyesore reminiscent of a Bond villain lair. Speaking of Bond, the bulk of the supporting cast is made up of familiar British character actors, including Lois Maxwell of Miss Moneypenny fame.

Well outside the predictable rhythms of Poirot and Miss Marple, "Endless Night" keeps us on enjoyably uncertain footing throughout, littering the story with red herrings and withholding the expected murders until the third act. The middle section drags a little and the big twist is somewhat underwhelming after such a long and peculiar build-up, but it's an intriguing head-scratcher for fans of slow-burning mysteries.

Let's get this out of the way from the start: CGI has no place in an Agatha Christie movie, although you can see why Kenneth Branagh opted for a digital avalanche set piece in his earnest but uninspired version of "Murder on the Orient Express." It was clearly intended to give his first outing as director and star of a new-look Hercule Poirot series extra spectacle in an era of superhero and action blockbuster franchises. We also get a chase scene at one point, but these action-oriented diversions water down the claustrophobic drama of Sidney Lumet's superior version.

Otherwise, Branagh's film is a respectful adaptation that resists the temptation to deviate much from the devious plot. He obviously has a lot of affection for the novel and the character, pitching his take on Poirot somewhere between Albert Finney and Peter Ustinov. He's more humorous than the former but more brooding than the latter, and his only ostentatious flourish is the epic size of his mustache. Dame Agatha would have been delighted — her only criticism of Finney's portrayal was the disappointing scale of his facial hair.

No doubt expecting that his film would draw comparisons to Lumet's, Branagh assembled a suitably impressive cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Olivia Coleman, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, and  Johnny Depp as the shady murder victim. Everyone gives decent performances but they don't quite shine as much as their illustrious equivalents in the 1974 movie. It's a solidly entertaining adaptation, if a rather muted one.

The first Agatha Christie screen adaptations began in the early days of the talkies, starting with "The Passing of Mr. Quin" in 1928. Hercule Poirot made his first appearances in "Alibi" and "Black Coffee," both in 1931, but all three of these films are considered lost. Other movies based on her work followed, but the first really notable version that still holds up for the modern viewer is René Clair's "And Then There Were None."

Released in the U.K. as "Ten Little Indians," Clair's atmospheric whodunnit is the gold standard for big-screen adaptations of Christie's most filmed novel. Coming just six years after the book was published, the French director treats the material with a delicate touch as he gathers an excellent ensemble cast for a classic Old Dark House set-up. Eight strangers are summoned to a remote island by a mysterious invite, and each actor does a great job essaying their characters before the murderer in their midst starts offing them one by one.

Devotees of the cult '80s favorite "Clue" will be in familiar territory here (Christie's novel was one inspiration for the original board game), as will fans of "The Traitors" reality TV show. "And Then There Were None" is a fun romp that keeps you guessing until the end, although it plays more like a macabre black comedy than a straight-up murder mystery. In the grand tradition of blasé would-be victims in Christie movies, the gang are amusingly nonchalant about the deadly situation, seemingly more concerned with who will serve their dinner after the butler dies than weeding out the killer. Without giving too much away, the ending is also significantly happier than Christie's original, making the film a light-hearted diversion that evaporates as soon as the credits appear.

British composer Ron Goodwin was perhaps best known for his stirring scores for classic war movies like "633 Squadron" and "Where Eagles Dare," but his jaunty music for "Murder She Said" is more in keeping with his work for the Norman Wisdom comedy "The Early Bird." The opening notes let us know we're in for a jolly good time before we meet Margaret Rutherford for the first of her four films as Miss Marple. Rutherford's depiction was a departure from the Agatha Christie's description, making her a more humorous and energetic character than the author's prickly busybody.

Adapted from "4.50 to Paddington," George Pollock's "Murder She Said" makes some significant changes to the novel and thrusts Miss Marple into the action from the outset. It is she who witnesses the opening murder through the window of a passing train rather than a friend, and Miss Marple herself goes undercover as a maid at a country pile to investigate the crime first-hand. These alterations make things more cinematic and sets up a very English comedy of manners as Rutherford's no-nonsense but kindly spinster encounters the eccentric inhabitants of the hall. It's all very charming.

Although Rutherford's take on Miss Marple was popular with the public, Christie wasn't a huge fan. Nevertheless, she respected the veteran actor's commitment to the role and later dedicated "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" to Rutherford. Incidentally, Joan Hickson, who plays the dour servant Mrs. Kidder, would go on to play Miss Marple in the definitive BBC series, fulfilling the author's wish after she saw Hickson in a 1946 stage production of "Appointment with Death."

Peter Ustinov's tenure as Hercule Poirot was somewhat analogous to Roger Moore's era of 007 adventures. Not only were his films and TV movies made during the same period, they also took a more jovial approach to the source material. In that respect, Guy Hamilton's "Evil Under the Sun" is the "Moonraker" of Agatha Christie adaptations, a sun-kissed frippery that treats its central murder case with cheeky irreverence.

That is certainly a feature rather than a bug, and the movie is an absolute blast. Around an hour is spent introducing the character dynamics at a secluded island resort populated by a star-studded cast including James Mason, Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith, Roddy McDowell, Sylvia Miles, Jane Birkin, and Ustinov as Poirot (or "Hercules Parrot," as one character calls him early on). Director Guy Hamilton sits back and lets the camera roll as the gang all camp and vamp it up in an array of fabulous outfits while hurling catty insults at each other. It's all so over-the-top and melodramatic that you half-expect Joan Collins to gatecrash the party arm-in-arm with Faye Dunaway.

The identity of the eventual murder victim will surprise absolutely nobody, but the mystery itself is ingenious. You know certain elements will come into play at some point, but if you can figure out exactly how the culprit pulled it off, you're a much better armchair sleuth than I am. Sly, very funny, and infused with a holiday vibe, "Evil Under the Sun" is a perfect comfort romp.

Sidney Lumet was on a hot streak in the mid-1970s and he took a break in between making two of the great New York movies ("Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon") to try his hand at an Agatha Christie movie. The director had previously helmed adaptations of several great writers, including Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and Anton Chekhov, and once again he displayed an assured literary touch while tackling Christie's most famous mystery.

It's all aboard the world's most luxurious train for a journey from Istanbul to London, where Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is approached by businessman Samuel Ratchett (Richard Widmark) to act as bodyguard after a series of death threats. Poirot turns him down, and it's not long before Ratchett winds up dead in his sleeper compartment. All the first-class passengers have a prior beef with the victim but the clues don't quite add up to one clear suspect, resulting in perhaps the most notorious ending in the entire Christie canon. The author's audacious twist inverts the conventions of a classic locked-room mystery, and Lumet carries it off with equal aplomb.

For the suspects, Lumet had the pleasure of an incredible ensemble cast including Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam, and an Oscar-winning Ingrid Bergman. Each gets their chance to shine in scenes with Finney's remarkable iteration of Poirot, a pale, hunched, growling figure possessed with formidable cunning. Finney became the only actor to receive an Oscar nod for playing the Belgian detective, but declined the opportunity to return for the sequel, "Death on the Nile."

Agatha Christie wrote other characters beyond Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot and we got one of her best in Billy Wilder's adaptation of the hit stage play, "Witness for the Prosecution." Appearing in front of the camera again after "The Night of the Hunter" (his only directorial effort) tanked at the box office, Charles Laughton enjoys himself immensely as Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a cantankerous old barrister recovering from a heart attack who can't resist taking on a high-profile murder case.

It's one of Laughton's finest screen performances, and the rest of the principal cast aren't bad, either. Tyrone Power plays the defendant, on trial for murdering a lonely spinster; Marlene Dietrich is his mysterious wife who shocks the court by testifying for the prosecution; and Elsa Lanchester (Laughton's real-life spouse) offers sparkling comedic support as Robarts' cheerfully overbearing nurse. Much of the enjoyment comes from their contrasting styles: Laughton is commanding yet so funny, the Shakespearian actor relishing every word of Wilder's witty screenplay; Powers gives it a touch of '50s Hollywood melodrama; and Dietrich makes the most of her melancholy and famously inscrutable visage.

"Witness for the Prosecution" zips along towards its conclusion, but that's where the film takes a wobble. The final reveal is rushed and all too transparent if you've watched any courtroom thriller of the past 40 years, especially since it hinges on the worst Cockney accent beyond Audrey Hepburn and Dick van Dyke in "My Fair Lady" and "Mary Poppins," respectively. That said, it's a minor quibble when you've got a cast like this tucking into a script this good.

After Albert Finney's one-and-done turn as Poirot in "Murder on the Orient Express," the producers went in a totally different direction for the sequel. Peter Ustinov, a two-time Oscar-winner in the 1960s, brought an avuncular and humorous touch to the role in sharp contrast to Finney's glowering presence. Indeed, the whole tone of John Guillermin's "Death on the Nile" hits a sweet spot where it is far warmer than its predecessor but not nearly as frivolous as Ustinov's next Poirot vacation, "Evil Under the Sun."

"Death on the Nile" is also the best-looking Agatha Christie movie to date. Luxuriant is the only word to describe gathering an eclectic cast for a location shoot on a River Nile steamer and taking in wonders like the Pyramids of Giza and the Temple of Karnak along the way. The mystery, involving a beautiful young couple and a bitter ex-lover, is superbly plotted and the starry ensemble all have tremendous fun with their parts. Onboard are David Niven, Angela Lansbury, Jane Birkin, Mia Farrow, Jack Warden, George Kennedy, and, best of all, Bette Davis and Maggie Smith as a crotchety dowager and her sarcastic paid companion.

The pace is appropriately leisurely and the film is a quality package all around. Celebrated playwright Anthony Shaffer does a fine job adapting the complex murder for the screen, legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff gives the whole picture plenty of sweep, Anthony Powell's superb period costumes won an Oscar, and Nino Rota adds to the lavish atmosphere with his opulent score. Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express" may be held in higher esteem, but "Death on the Nile" is a voyage worth taking again, even after you know the solution.