Revered for her thrilling murder mysteries and twisty tales, Agatha Christie is one of the most successful authors of the 20th century. The gifted English writer wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short stories, many of which revolve around her two most iconic characters: the quirky and mustached Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple. According to the Guinness World Records, Christie’s extensive list of works has led her to becoming the best-selling fiction writer of all time, with her novels having sold more than two billion copies. On the silver screen, more than 30 feature films have been adapted from her works, many of which are outstanding cinematic triumphs.

Updated December 13th, 2022: If you enjoy Agatha Christie movies, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve updated this article with new entries.

Audiences everywhere can’t get enough of a juicy murder mystery, gravitating towards exciting whodunit movies that feature eccentric and intriguing characters. Christie’s novels are the perfect subject source for such pictures, from star-studded popular flicks like Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express to more underrated staples like Murder Under the Sun. These are the best Agatha Christie movies.

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10 The Mirror Crack’d

     Columbia-Warner Distributors

The esteemed Angela Lansbury took on the role of amateur detective miss Jane Marple in the 1980 British mystery drama The Mirror Crack’d, which follows the notorious sleuth as she investigates the murder of a local woman who was poisoned, with a visiting movie star likely to have been the intended victim.

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Touting a star-studded cast of Hollywood big names like Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, and Rock Hudson, the Agatha Christie adaptation features the two legendary actresses as bitter cinema rivals who have come to film a picture in Marple’s English village of St Mary Mead, seemingly terrorized by a mysterious threat. Lansbury shines as the astute detective, projecting warmth and compassion with the character while demonstrating her trademark wit and superb inquisitive nature; many attribute the film as a precursor to her later role as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote.

9 Crooked House

     Vertical Entertainment 

Gilles Paquet-Brenner directed the 2017 mystery film Crooked House, based on the twisted Agatha Christie tale that centers on private investigator Charles Hayward as he is tasked with discovering who murdered the wealthy grandfather of his former lover, traveling to the family’s sprawling estate to examine the crime.

The thrilling whodunit picture brilliantly captures the essence of the beloved Christie novel and is packed full of playful wit, dark humor, dramatic flair and faithfulness to its original source material. The eccentric characters and outstanding performance by Max Irons as Hayward help make the adaptation a knockout. Vulture commended the modern murder mystery movie in their review, writing, “Crooked House knows what its job is: to set up a tangled web of colorful characters, throw a few red herrings, set off its dynamite, and make its exit while the smoke is still in the air.”

8 Evil Under the Sun

     Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors 

Following Agatha Christie’s longest-running character and most iconic detective, Hercule Poirot, the 1982 British mystery Evil Under the Sun stars Peter Ustinov as the revered Belgian sleuth, chronicling his journey to a glamorous island resort as he investigates both a millionaire’s fake diamonds and the murder of a famous actress. The film is the second time Ustinov took on the adored role, having previously portrayed the character in the critically-acclaimed 1978 picture Death on the Nile.

When discussing his thoughts on the quirky detective, Ustinov stated, “I find Poirot a very engaging character, although he’s quite awful, really. I should hate to know him. He’s very vain, self-contained and finicky…he’s very much in love with himself. He has probably been quite true to himself. I don’t think he’s ever cheated on himself.” The actor’s knockout performance as Poirot helped garner critical acclaim for Evil Under the Sun, leading to the actor portraying the character four more times.

7 Murder at the Gallop

     Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

1963’s Murder at the Gallop was a sequel to 1961’s Murder, She Said, as well as a loose adaptation of the 1953 novel After the Funeral by Christie, in which the director George Pollock replaced Hercule Poirot with Miss Marple to keep making Marple movies starring the great English actress Margaret Rutherford.

In the film, Rutherford’s Miss Marple witnesses a wealthy old man dying frightened to death by a cat and thinks that one of his four relatives has been greedy enough to kill for money. More fun than serious, Murder at the Gallop enhances Christie’s suspense with humor. Rutherford is a joy to watch.

6 Endless Night

     British Lion Films

Based on the Lady of Crime’s later novel, the 1972 British horror-mystery film Endless Night is a somewhat different kind of thriller. In this moody psychological tale that flirts with the supernatural, a young couple, Ellie (Hayley Mills) and Michael (Hywel Bennett), feel threatened after building a dream house on a supposedly cursed land.

Endless Night is an unusual but gripping Christie mystery that seems to have been forgotten in time. “The thing about Endless Night is, it intrigues the way a good psychological thriller should. Watch it through once and you’ll feel the need to re-watch it straight away. Before you know it, you’ll have watched it three or four times just to see if the pieces fit together better with every viewing”, The Irish News wrote.

5 Murder, She Said

Based on Agatha Christie’s 4.50 from Paddington, the 1961 comedy murder mystery Murder, She Said stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, depicting the amateur detective as she witnesses the strangling of a young woman on a passing train. When the police dismiss her claims, the savvy and determined Marple decides to conduct an investigation all on her own.

The interpretation departs from Christie’s trademark suspense and instead adopts a more whimsical and light-hearted approach, and though the author was not keen on the liberties taken, critics lauded the picture for its inventive storytelling, charming humor, and fresh take on the subject. Rutherford portrayed the character as a commanding and eccentric force that refuses to be deterred in her quest for justice, with the BBC writing, “Stealing every scene that she’s in, the indomitable Rutherford plays Miss Marple with a zesty deal that papers over the film’s unlikely plot.”

4 And Then There Were None

     20th Century Fox

The great René Clair directed the 1945 mystery drama And Then There Were None, which tells the fascinating story of 10 strangers who gather at a grand manor on an isolated island by a mysterious host, only to find themselves being terrifyingly murdered one by one. As the guests try to keep level-headed, they grow increasingly suspicious of one another and come to the stunning realization that there is in fact a killer amongst them.

Featuring the talent of silver screen stars like Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston and Louis Hayward, the adaptation was met to widespread critical acclaim upon its release, with reviewers praising the thrilling suspense, outstanding performances of Fitzgerald and Huston and sharp script. The New York Times raved about And Then There Were None, having said, “René Clair has produced an exciting film and has directed a splendid cast in it with humor and a light macabre touch. The temptation to the horrifying is intelligently dismissed." One of the best Agatha Christie novels (despite its horribly racist original title), And Then There Were None has been adapted several times, with one of the most recent and best being a 2015 British miniseries, though Clair’s 1945 version remains the essential adaptation.

3 Death on the Nile

     EMI Distributors

Based on one of Agatha Christie’s most popular and admired novels, the 1978 British mystery Death on the Nile follows the mustached, offbeat Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as he embarks on a luxurious cruise down the Nile, only to be called into action once again when a newlywed heiress is murdered. The renowned investigator must move swiftly to identify the devious killer before the paddle steamer completes its journey, using his profound gift for deciphering clues and discovering the truth to do so.

Peter Ustinov took over the role of Poirot after previous star Albert Finney declined to return, with producer Richard B. Goodwin having commented, “Poirot is a character part if there ever was one, and Peter is a top character actor.” Death on the Nile went on to win an Academy Award and garnered widespread praise, with the esteemed murder mystery standing out as one of the finest Christie adaptations; a remake directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh was released in 2022.

2 Witness for the Prosecution

     United Artists 

The great director Billy Wilder helmed the Oscar-nominated 1957 mystery crime drama Witness for the Prosecution, depicting the efforts of renowned barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts as he defends his client Leonard Vole, who is on trial for murdering a wealthy woman. The case takes a dramatic turn when Vole’s cold-hearted wife decides to appear against him in court. The film noir was the first big screen adaptation of the Agatha Christie story, and Wilder went to great lengths to keep the mystery’s ending a secret, even keeping the final 10 pages of the script from the actors until it was time to shoot the final scene.

At the end of the picture, a voice-over even encouraged audiences not to divulge the conclusion to any friends and family, wanting to keep the mystique surrounding the drama intact. Witness for the Prosecution went on to earn six Academy Award nominations, and Agatha Christie is believed to have considered it the best adaptation of her work.

1 Murder on the Orient Express

     EMI Films

Before Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of The Murder on the Orient Express, there was Sydney Lumet’s star-studded masterpiece. Touting an impressive cast of Hollywood royalty like Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and Sean Connery, the critically-lauded 1974 British mystery stars Albert Finney as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot is relaxing on a journey home aboard the Orient Express but finds his much-needed break interrupted when a disliked billionaire is murdered en route. The mustachioed man of mystery decides to investigate the crime, quickly realizing that many of his fellow passengers harbored ill-will towards the man and could easily be capable of murder.

The adaptation was both a critical and commercial success, earning Bergman an Academy Award and being heralded for its exceptional performances, gripping suspense and faithfulness to Christie’s novel. The author even gave her seal of approval for Murder on the Orient Express, an impressive feat since she notoriously disliked most film adaptations of her work aside from Witness For the Prosecution. The picture remains one of the greatest cinematic examples of Christie’s work, and will, certainly, make you second guess train travel.