"...our capital H"

A group of people on a train: a diplomatic couple, an old Russian princess, her maid, a loud American woman, an unpleasant American man, his secretary, a Swedish missionary, an English nanny, a colonel, a cordial Englishman, a congenial Italian salesman, another American, the man who runs the boxcar...and a prissy Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Overnight, the unpleasant American man is murdered, stabbed to death - and it's up to Poirot to find out who did it.

There are very few clues to the identity of the killer: a cry in the middle of the night, a handkerchief, a burnt scrap of paper, a kimono-clad woman seen from behind, a short man with a squeaky voice who's not on the train anymore.

The film has a great atmosphere. The train is trapped in the middle of a snowstorm, which gives it a cozy feeling. Meanwhile, Poirot is waddling busily around the train, interrogating people.

It's also got great acting, including performances by Richard Widmark, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Wendy Hiller, Vanessa Redgrave, Martin Balsam, and Ingrid Bergman.

All in all, "Murder on the Orient Express" is an engaging, atmospheric mystery with a great plot.