You know Christmas is coming when the whodunnits start appearing on the TV schedules. There's something macabrely comforting about an all-star cast gathered in a lavish setting to solve an ingenious murder. Between 1974 and 1982, producers John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin perfected this formula, creating a run of Agatha Christie adaptations that defined the genre for decades to come. This new boxset from StudioCanal is a beautifully packaged slice of nostalgic comfort viewing, comprising three great films… and The Mirror Crack'd.

Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express is the best of the boxset, and arguably the finest Christie adaptation ever made, give or take René Clair's And Then There Were None or Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution. Albert Finney delivers the definitive big-screen Poirot – embracing all the characters eccentricities but never treating him as a joke. Yes, he looks absurd in his hairnet and starched collars, but Finney plays his shrewd acuity perfectly. You get the sense he is keenly aware of the situation before the murder has even been committed, and toys with the suspects like a cat with a mouse.

It might seem a lightweight assignment for Lumet, fresh off Serpico, but he brings the same intensity as to any of his dramas. The use of tight close ups during the interrogations echo 12 Angry Men, giving the film a real sense of claustrophobia and intensity. Indeed, the lion's share of Ingrid Bergman's Oscar winning performance plays out in one uninterrupted take where the camera never leaves her face.

Lumet also overcomes the whodunnit's inherent flaw – once you know the killer, the suspense is gone – by adding details worth revisiting. He fills the background with life, with Hollywood greats like Wendy Hiller and Richard Widmark performing little bits of business out of focus. The all-star cast, which includes six Oscar winners, never overwhelms the film. Every actor, from Sean Connery to Lauren Bacall, is perfectly cast, and the subtleties of their performances take on new meaning with each viewing. Best of all is Jean-Pierre Cassel as the dutiful train conductor, imbuing his role with a quiet melancholy that is profoundly moving.

The two Peter Ustinov Poirot films are a different kettle of fish. Both are more overtly comic t, and Ustinov's Poirot is a more genial and pompous figure than Finney's. He's great if you like Peter Ustinov, but he doesn't so much play Poirot as he plays himself with a Belgian accent. He leans into the absurdity of his character – his vanity, his pompous nature – and if it's not exactly faithful to the books, he is at least funny.

Death On The Nile is the better of Ustinov's two outings, thanks to Anthony Shaffer's witty script and gorgeous Egyptian cinematography. Director John Guillermin trades Lumet's precision for spectacle, making full use of the Nile vistas, lavish costumes, and a strong, if slightly less starry, cast. Mia Farrow is incredible as the hysterical chief suspect, Angela Lansbury hams it up as the drunken hack writer, and the constant sniping between Bette Davis and Maggie Smith is a joy. The film is nastier and bloodier than Orient Express, but also more playful – Poirot conveniently pops up just in time to overhear a clue. Still, it's a lush and enjoyable mystery and superior in every way to the Kenneth Branagh version.

Evil Under The Sun is lighter, campier, and much more self-aware. It leans fully into theatricality, aided by a breezy Cole Porter soundtrack and sun-drenched Mediterranean setting. It's definitely the most fun film in the collection – Diana Rigg's deliciously awful diva is so unbearable you can virtually see the other characters queuing up to murder her. The cast isn't as starry as before, with James Mason the only bona fide A-Lister, but Maggie Smith steals the film as the sharp-tongued hotel owner; her catty exchanges with Rigg are reason enough to watch.

The odd one out is The Mirror Crack'd, a detour into Miss Marple territory that marks the low point of the collection. Despite marking Elizabeth Taylor's big-screen comeback – playing an insecure movie star making a comeback of her own – the scale and energy of the earlier films are absent. While the other mysteries are of varying quality, there is something irresistible about the ensemble dynamic – talented actors trapped together, bouncing off one another. Here the characters are too disparate, and there's no sense of claustrophobia, isolation or urgency. Which means it can't help feel a little mundane by comparison.

There's nothing to match the operatic scores or luxurious settings of the earlier films, and while the script aims for the wit of All About Eve, aside from a few clever barbs, it mostly plays like a serviceable episode of Murder, She Wrote. Most bizarrely, while Angela Lansbury makes a decent Miss Marple, she barely appears, instead leaving the brilliant Edward Fox to drive the investigation as her detective nephew. His interrogation of Taylor is the film's standout scene; full of an intensity and playfulness that is sadly missing for most of the film.

While the quality varies, one universal truism of the four films is that the mysteries are handled deftly – even The Mirror Crack'd, for all its missteps, still manages to deliver a satisfying final twist. The entire collection has been stunningly restored, and the first two films in particular look incredibly cinematic. It's the perfect winter gift, ideally consumed with a jigsaw puzzle and a glass of wine.

4K UHD Blu-ray Special Features

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Behind the Velvet Curtains: Jacqueline Bisset revisits The Orient Express
Interview with Richard Goodwin
Audio Interview with Michael York
Audio commentary with Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
Agatha Christie: A Portrait
Making Murder on the Orient Express: All Aboard / The Ride / The Passengers The End of the Line
Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
Original trailer

Death on the Nile (1978)

Sparkling Homicide: A Video Essay by David Cairns
Audio commentary with Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
Making Of
Interview with Angela Lansbury
Interview with costume designer Anthony Powell
Interview with Producer Richard Goodwin
Interview with Peter Ustinov
Interview with Jane Birkin
Behind the Scenes stills gallery
Costume Designs Gallery
Original Trailer

The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

Reflections on Miss Marple: featuring Jean Kwok, Rian Johnson, Matthew Sweet and Mark Aldridge
Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
Interview with screenwriter Barry Sandler
Interview with Angela Lansbury
Interview with Producer Richard Goodwin
Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
Storyboards Gallery

Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Back to the Island: Emily Hone remembers Evil Under the Sun
Excessive Creatures: A Video Essay by David Cairns
Making of featurette
Audio commentary with Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
Interview with costume designer Anthony Powell
Interview with screenwriter Barry Sandler
Interview with producer Richard Godwin
Behind the Scenes stills gallery
Costume Designs gallery
Original Trailer
Radio Spots
The Royal Film Performance 1982: In the Gracious Presence of H. M. the Queen & H. R. H. the Duke of Edinburgh – at the Odeon Leicester Square