Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Ever since I watched Kenneth Branagh's mediocre Murder on the Orient Express, I've been meaning to check out Sidney Lumet's version of Agatha Christie's famous novel and now that I have, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Not that Lumet's film isn't good, it is, but it just isn't as good as 12 Angry Men or Dog Day Afternoon. 

I think it's kind of pointless to tell you what the movie is about, but just in case you don't, it is set in the 1930s and follows the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) as he finds himself travelling on the Orient Express. One of the passengers, Mr Ratchett (Richard Widmark), asks Poirot for protection but he declines. The next morning, Mr Ratchett is found dead in his compartment and Poirot is asked to solve the murder before the train arrives at the next station. 

Being Lumet's film an incredibly faithful adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, having read the book takes away all the mystery from the story. The thing here is that Lumet is a masterful storyteller and he is able to deliver the complex story Christie wrote, a story that gets thicker and thicker as it develops, in such an intriguing and gripping way that will keep you glued to the screen from the beginning until the very end. Also, the several plot twists I knew were coming are pulled off beautifully. Which is something Branagh's version kind of did too.  

The characters are the biggest difference between this version and Branagh's. Although most of them have very little screen time, their introduction is handled very well, and their characterization is quite impressive. 

And the credits go to the cast for it. With the exception of Albert Finney whose performance as Hercule Poirot didn't really convince me as he tries to be very accurate to the character that Christie wrote delivering a quite obnoxious Poirot but ends up exaggerating a little --I highly doubt that the Poirot from the novel would tear up a menu of a restaurant and throw the pieces up in the air--, the all-star supporting cast, including Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, and more, is fantastic. Each of the actors delivers an unforgettable character and each one of them makes the film more intriguing as they all add a sense of mystery and suspense with their performances. 

EMI Films

At last but not least, there's the visual aspect of the film. The cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth is very atmospheric and colourful; the locations and sets are great and so are the costumes and makeup. The musical score too is mysterious and fits the film very well. 

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Genres

Crime, Drama

Director

Sidney Lumet

Country

USA

Cast

Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, Lance Henriksen, Chris Sarandon, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar, Susan Peretz, Carol Kane, Beulah Garrick, Sandra Kazan, Estelle Omens, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Amy Levitt, Gary Springer, John Marriott, Philip Charles MacKenzie

Storyline

A ten-minute bank robbery turns into a hostage situation and a media circus when Sonny (Al Pacino), one of the robbers, finds that there's nothing much to steal.

Opinion

I've been putting off Dog Day Afternoon for a very long time. It's just that the whole bank robbery storyline didn't appeal me much. Then Dell mentioned this film on his Top 20 LGBT Movies list and, curious to see how it would fit, I finally checked it out. I'm not going to tell you that because I don't want to spoil the film for you if you still haven't seen it, but it sure fits. And it's such a great film I'd put it on my Top 20 LGBT Movies list too.

Anyway, the film tells a compelling and tragic true story about a bank robbery. It does have some of the typical moments of films of this genre – the robbers getting a massive attention from the media, for example – and if you think about it, the plot is rather thing, but to benefit from that almost non-existent plot are the characters.

This film has indeed a fantastic, detailed, believable characterization, and very interesting characters, especially John Cazale’s Sal. While Al Pacino’s Sonny is the incarnation of a man who tries to keep everything under control, a man who acts tough but who’s got heart and doesn’t want anybody to get hurt – which is probably the reason why you can’t help but sympathize with him -, John Cazale’s Sal is a completely different man. Sal is the kind of man who does not need to talk to speak. His face does all the job. He is aggressive and the more dangerous of the two, but he is also kind of naïve. Unlike Sonny, he is worried about what people think about him which is crazy since he’s robbing a bank and he’s the wandering mine. I think that’s what makes the character so interesting.

These two different but equally fascinating characters are brought to life by two fantastic actors. In my opinion, Al Pacino gives his best performance ever. He doesn’t play Sonny, he is Sonny, and the best thing about it is that Sonny is different from the usual character he plays. Sure, he’s still a criminal, but he’s far away from the cold-blooded Michael Corleone or the ruthless Tony Montana.  John Cazale also gives a great performance and he embodies Sal to perfection.

Then, of course, there’s the direction. Not only Lumet builds some great tension and suspense but he also gives the inside and the outside of the bank two completely different tones. It’s all calm inside and all frenetic outside. It should be the opposite given the situation, but I think that’s why it works so well.

However, Dog Day Afternoon does have a flaw. It touches many important themes such as the trauma of Vietnam War veterans, media doing everything to get a story and homosexuality, but it doesn’t explore them at most. 

12 Angry Men (1957)

Genre

Drama

Director

Sidney Lumet

Country

United States

Cast

Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber

Plot

A Puerto Rican youth is on trial for murder, accused of knifing his father to death. The twelve jurors retire to the jury room, having been admonished that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Eleven of the jurors vote for conviction, each for reasons of his own. The sole holdout, Juror #8 (Henry Fonda), will try to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Opinion

12 Angry Men is a masterpiece. It is unbelievable how a film, shooted almost 60 years ago, that takes place in just one room, and entirely built on the characters dialogues, manages to satisfy a modern audience. Furthermore, it is the proof that a film does not need elaborate scenery or costumes or special effects to be great.
I have not seen the original teleplay, but I know for sure that Sidney Lumet could not do a better job: this film is flawless. The camera movements and angles achieve their goal, that is adding suspense. The dialogues are just brilliant.
Excellent casting. Henry Fonda, who plays Juror #8, and Lee J. Cobb, who plays Juror #3, give incredibly realistic performances.

Quotes

Juror #8: Ever since you walked into this room, you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts! You're a sadist!
Juror #3: I'll kill him! I'LL KILL HIM!
Juror #8: You don't *really* mean you'll kill me, do you?

Juror #8: Prejudice always obscures the truth.

Rating

10/10