The Mystery of the Blue Train (11 Dec. 2005)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" The Mystery of the Blue Train (original title)

Poirot investigates the brutal hammer murder of Ruth Kettering, an American heiress and the theft of a fabulous ruby on the Blue Train between Calais and Nice.

Director:

Hettie Macdonald

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Guy Andrews (screenplay)

Stars:

David Suchet, James D'Arcy, Alice Eve

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
James D'Arcy	...	Derek Kettering
Alice Eve	...	Lenox
Nicholas Farrell	...	Knighton
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Ada Mason
Tom Harper	...	Corky
Jane How	...	Lady at Ball
Samuel James	...	Steward
Helen Lindsay	...	Sister Rosalia
Oliver Milburn	...	La Roche
Jaime Murray	...	Ruth Kettering
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Inspector Caux (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Etela Pardo	...	Dolores
Georgina Rylance	...	Katherine
Josette Simon	...	Mirelle Milesi

Storyline

After traveling on the Blue Train from Calais to Nice, Hercule Poirot is pressed into service to help solve the murder of heiress Ruth Kettering who is found savagely beaten in her compartment. She was the daughter of wealthy industrialist Rufus Van Alden and very much wanted a divorce. Both her husband and her lover were on the train but she had changed rooms with another passenger, Katherine Grey, so the question naturally arises as to whether she was the intended victim. Grey may also have had enemies as she had recently inherited a very large sum of money and greedy relatives had suddenly taken a interest in her. When an attempt is subsequently made on Grey's life, this appears to the case but Poirot methodically sifts through all of the clues to determine the motive and identify the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

train | heiress | ruby | maid | hammer murder | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

Italian English French

Release Date:

11 December 2005 (USA)

Filming Locations:

France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada, A&E Television Networks, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min 94 min 93 min (11 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hercule Poirot mentions at the end that he has never traveled on the Orient Express, raising viewer expectations of his most famous case, "Murder on the Orient Express."

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Quotes

Lady Tamplin: [Lenox and Corky enter] Ah, here they are at last. Katherine, my daughter Lenox. And this infant is my husband.
Lenox Tamplin: He's not my father, obviously.
Corky: Oh, no!
Lenox Tamplin: That would be the astonishment of science.

User Reviews

Huge disappointment

I am not a terribly big fan of Agatha Christie, but "Mystery of the Blue Train" is one of her novels that I did in fact like and was therefore thrilled to hear that they've made this TV adaptation as part of the "Poirot" series with David Suchet.

Unfortunately, it was not to be... it started on the wrong foot immediately with the way it was directed--was there no one around to rein the director in? Everything seems shot in darkness, through smoke, half-obscured, half-reflected in mirrors, etc. It's often difficult to even see the faces of actors because of this.

Of course, that would probably be bearable if the screenplay adaptation wasn't so bad. It takes amazing liberties with the novel (some of which have been already mentioned in other comments) that I couldn't believe. The storyline doesn't seem to make any sense any more, and the dynamic between some of the characters has been completely changed.

In conclusion, do not go anywhere near this movie if you've liked the novel at all.