Review of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) by Grant S — 10 Sep 2018

Dull and unnecessary - watch the 1974 version instead.

Famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is travelling on the Orient Express when a murder is committed. The victim was a particularly obnoxious man with a criminal past. As clues are revealed it is apparent that many of the other passengers on the train had a motive to kill him, making Poirot's task of identifying the murderer much more difficult.

Dull and unnecessary. The 1974 version of Murder On the Orient Express, directed by Sidney Lumet, was superb. A great mixture of intrigue, atmosphere and 1930s quaintness combined with great performances from an all-star cast (Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Jacqueline Bisset, Martin Balsam, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark and Michael York). Finney was perfect as Poirot.

In this version, director Kenneth Branagh somehow manages to make an Agatha Christie mystery dull. It just feels like a straightforward, paint-by-numbers adaptation of the book. Intrigue is minimal, and is often replaced by action (presumably to appeal to modern audiences). Maybe it is because I already knew the solution to the mystery, but the whole thing felt so flat.

Once again we have an all-star cast - Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe - yet this time the performances feel subdued and uninspired. Branagh, for all his acting talent, is clearly not in the same league as the legendary Poirot performers - Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet. Even his Belgian accent seems fake! (And don't get me started on the facial hair!). Some of the oddities he imbues Poirot with are quite unnecessary and feel like quirkiness for quirkiness sake.

Unnecessary, just like this movie. Watch the 1974 version instead.