Agatha Christie is the best-selling fiction author of all time, and anyone who has spent a few hours behind the pages of one of her books understands why: her capacity for surprising the reader, for turning narrative expectation on its head, is nearly unsurpassed. As her biographer Laura Thompson put it, Christie is “a monolith, a phenomenon”; her legacy looms large over every single mystery writer in the world today and even beyond. Serious literary criticism has contented with her as well, and some of her most celebrated work has been lauded in “Best Books of the Century” lists from respected vehicles.

No wonder she is, to this day, so immensely popular and addictive. To those looking to get a little quick fix of Christie in their lives, there have been many good adaptations of her novels on the big screen, as this list will show (to be clear: only cinema releases were considered, so all made-for-TV movies are not included).

10. The Mirror Crack’d (1980)

Any devoted Agatha Christie fan knows that Miss Marple is just as much of an iconic figure as Hercule Poirot, not only in Christie’s own oeuvre, but in the whole canon of crime fiction as well. However, the elderly lady, though just as brilliant as her Belgian counterpart, has not enjoyed the same success with cinematic adaptation as him: Marple movies are usually very modest, compared to the big-budget attention Poirot frequently gets (on television, at least, they are on par).

“The Mirror Crack’d” is the only movie starring the character to feature a lot of the same trademarks afforded to the best Poirot films, mainly the illustrious cast stacked with huge stars: Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak and Elizabeth Taylor are all having immense fun stretching the script’s admittedly thin characterization; especially the last two, who find the humor in playing egocentric rival Hollywood actresses.

But entertaining as they are, it’s truly Angela Lansbury who carries the movie. By the far the most faithful to the books, her Marple is a woman whose often sincere warmth and care for her neighbours conceals an avid appetite for murder and an exceptionally keen mind to solving them. The movie, on the whole, is a fairly faithful adaptation of one of Christie’s lesser novels, but it’s still worth watching thanks to a few interesting touches (like the extremely clever first scene, which I won’t spoil here) and Lansbury’s wonderful performance.

9. Crooked House (2017)

Due, perhaps, to the immense popularity of her regular detectives, Christie’s standalone books rarely get a lot of cinematic treatment, which is a shame, because some of her best work is outside of both the Marple and Poirot series.

“Crooked House,” one of her greatest novels, is an exception. Brought to the big screen the same year as Kenneth Brannagh’s considerably more lavish production of another Christie classic, “Murder On The Orient Express,” this movie didn’t really get its proper moment in the sun. But, while less ambitious in scope, this is the better adaptation; the spirit of the Agatha Christie whodunnit, in all its witty, funny, often silly but always engaging glory, is preserved here, thanks to a screenplay that understands the ingredients that make these stories interesting (it was co-written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes, himself no stranger to the genre, having written “Gosford Park”).

Therefore, this movie is filled to the brim with familial intrigue, money disputes, dim-witted upper-class characters and, of course, multiple suspects of a grisly murder. Featuring a stellar cast, as is usually the case with Christie adaptations (with a particularly excellent turn by Glenn Close), “Crooked House” retains a lot of the novel’s pleasures, including the final, shiver-inducing twist.

8. And Then There Were None (1945)

The first and best adaptation of Agatha Christie’s most enduringly popular work, the 1945 version of “And Then There Were None,” directed by Rene Clair, succeeds mainly by maintaining the novel’s plot and structure intact (including who the final culprit is), and letting the ingenuity of the story do the heavy lifting.

Clair made a few interesting and, one could argue, important movies, especially in his French phase, but he was never a truly great filmmaker, mostly content with being an efficient one. This movie has the quality of a very good journeyman behind the camera; there is a never a camera placement or an editing choice that would elevate the suspense to its maximum, as people like Hitchcock and Henri-Georges Clouzot would do, but there is still a lot of purposeful craft to every scene, like good blocking (something essential in a movie set in a single place, like this one, to make it visually dynamic and to establish the spatial relation) and the use of contrast in lighting.

I don’t think any adaptation of “And Then There Were None” has ever quite managed to capture the propulsive nature of the novel (there’s a reason this is the best-selling mystery book of all time; it’s one of the most enthralling pieces of fiction of the 20th century), but this is the one that comes the closest.

7/6. Murder She Said (1961)/Murder at the Gallop (1963)

The Miss Marple movies starring Margaret Rutherford are by far, of all Agatha Christie adaptations, the ones that most disregard her original work and just do their own thing. It’s a double-edged sword: on one hand, fans of the novels will no doubt be disappointed at the characterizations and liberties taken with the story, but on the other, those willing to watch the films on their own terms will find fun, quick little comedies of manners disguised as thrillers.

Rutherford is a far cry from the elegance of Lansbury; her Marple is at times almost a buffoon, and this universe is so different that in these movies she even has a sidekick and eventually a husband named Mr Stringer. But again, once you look past those differences in tone, it’s possible to appreciate her performance for its own merits, of which there are many; she is consistently funny while never necessarily sacrificing the character’s intelligence.

All of the Rutherford movies follow a strict formula: somehow Miss Marple comes across a murder, infiltrates a place to better investigate the suspects, and eventually finds the murderer (and along the way the somebody tries to kill her). The first two, “Murder, She Said” and “Murder at the Gallop” are the best ones and are recommended especially for casual Christie fans looking for light entertainment instead of blistering suspense.

The Queen of Suspense! Dame Agatha Christie is the best selling novelist of all time, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. She has sold roughly 2 billions copies of her work, and her estate claims her works come in 3rd for most-widely published books, behind only the works of William Shakespeare and The Bible. She is also the most translated author with her works being translated in 103 languages.

On top of that, her play The Mousetrap has been running on The West End for over 50 years. The film world came knocking and Dame Christie answered. Her works have been adapted for the screen since the the late 1920s to varying degrees of success.

From masterpieces to movies that shouldn’t have been made, Christie’s work had touched thousands of readers and viewers. These are some of the best movies based on her work.

1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Cited as one of, if not the best adaptations of Agatha Christie’s works and one of the best courtroom dramas ever, Witness for the Prosecution is based on the short story (and later play) by the author. The film stars Tyrone Power (in his last film role), Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton, and features Elsa Lanchester.

Directed by Billy Wilder, the film follows Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is being accused for murder of a wealthy woman. Legendary lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) has chosen to represent him. His alibi rests in the hands of his callous wife (Marlene Dietrich), who, through a legal loophole, appears in court against him. This is just the first of many twists and turns faced by the defense.

At the end of the film, much like the conclusion of The Mousetrap, the longest running play ever, written by Agatha Christie, the establishment asked for secrecy on the ending of the film. A voice-over came on over the ending credits and said:

“The management of this theatre suggests that for the greater entertainment of your friends who have not yet seen the picture, you will not divulge, to anyone, the secret of the ending of Witness for the Prosecution.”

Witness for the Prosecution has received extreme positive reviews and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor in Leading Role, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture. It is also considered one of the best courtroom dramas of all time, ranking 6th on the American Film Institute List of best courtroom dramas.

2. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

An adaptation that even Christie herself enjoyed, Murder on the Orient Express, based on the novel of the same name, is a star-studded romp. Featuring Albert Finney as one of Christie’s most popular characters Detective Hercules Poirot, the cast also includes Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and in an Academy Award winning performance, Ingrid Bergman, and that’s to name a few.

Aboard the Orient Express, Detective Poirot and his friend Monsieur Bianchi, a train company director must find out who murdered the American business tycoon Mr. Rachett.

Agatha Christie had expressed much disappointment over the adaptations of her work and was unwilling to sell any more film rights. According to Christie’s husband, she begrudgingly accepted the offer from producer John Bradbourne and chairman of EMI films Nat Cohen. She went on to say that the film was well made, except for one mistake. Having Albert Finney play Detective Poirot. Finney earned one of the film’s six Oscar nominations.

3. Murder, She Said (1961)

The first of the Miss Marple films made by director George Pollock, he went on to make three more, Murder, She Said was loosely adapted from Christie’s novel 4.50 from Paddington. Margaret Rutherford portrayed the famous amatuer sleuth Miss Marple for this film and its sequels.

In the film, Miss Marple witnesses a woman being strangled on a train that is overtaking hers. The local police can find no evidence to support her story, so she conducts her own investigation and comes to the conclusion that the body must be on the grounds of Ackenthorpe Hall, which adjoins the railway line. This is where her real investigation begins.

There are several differences between the film and the novel from whence it came. In the story, Miss Marple’s elderly friend Elspeth McGillicuddy witnesses the murder. In the story, a young acquaintance of Miss Marple becomes a maid at the Ackenthorpe residence in order to investigate, instead of Miss Marple herself in the film.

Rutherford’s interpretation was quite different from the languid, passive depiction of Miss Marple in the novel. Despite Christie’s dislike of the adaptation, the film has received positive reviews and was successful financially.

4. Death on the Nile (1978)

Based on the novel by the same name and shot in Egypt, Death on the Nile, followed a similar formula to Murder on the Orient Express from four years prior and featured an all star cast. The film was directed John Guillermin and adapted by Anthony Shaffer. Peter Ustinov stepped in to play Detective Hercules Poirot, a role he would play five more times.

On a luxurious cruise on the Nile River, a wealthy heiress is murdered. Poirot and his trusted companion, Colonel Race are there to investigate. However, as Poirot and Race get closer to finding the killer, several of the suspects meet their demise, deepening the mystery.

Featuring a massive cast including the likes of Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury and George Kennedy, Death on the Nile faced plenty of production difficulties. The temperatures reached 130 degrees fahrenheit and the crew had no hotel reservations. However, the overall atmosphere of the set was a generous one. Death on the Nile has received generally positive critical response and won an Academy Award for its costume design.

5. And Then There Were None (1945)

This Christie masterpiece has been filmed a number of times, but this one is considered the best. The film changes certain characters’ names and backstories to accompany the tough censorship at the time. The film also adheres to the ending of the stage play instead of the novel.

The cast includes Barry Fitzgerald, Judith Anderson, Walter Huston among others as people stranded on an island. The 10 strangers are summoned to a remote island. While waiting for their host, a mysterious recording levels accusations at each of the guests. Soon, they start getting murdered, one by one, and they realize that one of them must be the killer.

This adaptation of the novel takes fewer liberties than other takes on the book. However, the ending is radically altered. This film, like all Western versions, changes the ending to be more upbeat.

Another change is the title. Christie’s original title was Ten Little Niggers and then changed to Ten Little Indians, a title it is often known as today. In some countries, like the U.K and Australia, the novel title was changed to And Then There Were None, so the film’s title was changed as well.