Review of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) by Matthewakalusi — 20 Nov 2017

This is a remake of one of crime novelist, Agatha Christie's classic murder mysteries. Kenneth Branagh directs the movie and stars as Belgian private detective, Hercule Poirot, a recurring character in several of Christie's novels, who travels the world solving knotty crimes.

What starts out as another train ride for Poirot on the luxurious Orient Express from Istanbul headed for London, turns out to be anything but that when a passenger is murdered. Poirot is invited by the owner of the train, whose guest he is, to investigate and solve the murder.

The investigation is complicated by the fact that more than one of the remaining passengers had reason to be unhappy with the murdered passenger. The movie which stars an ensemble cast culminates in Poirot unraveling the case and things subsequently taking an unexpected turn.

The prologue and build up do seem sluggish but once the murder occurs and the investigation begins, the movie becomes engaging up till its conclusion, complemented by Jim Clay’s production design which gives it a realistic 1930s look.

A very good period drama.