Review of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) by Matthew D — 27 Mar 2018

A faithful adaptation plagued by questionable choices.

Kenneth Branagh tries so had to recreate the old movie version of Murder on the Orient Express that everything falls flat. Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express is merely entertaining for a single viewing at home during the afternoon. I cannot imagine someone ever returning to watch this adaptation ever again. It's too precise and on the nose as an adaptation. It has no style of its own as it comes across as over-stylized. It sadly pales in comparison to the Murder on the Orient Express movies that precede it. Branagh's Poirot will never compare to David Suchet's portrayal of the mustachioed detective.

Branagh's direction is really odd as this movie is well filmed so that everything looks so good it becomes otherworldly. The scenes are set up very well. The camera movements are really nice and let you focus in on characters as they talk, so that you are not dwelling on the other passengers. It's clever, but the other elements in the movie detract from how good the cinematography is overall. Many times you'll think to yourself while watching that a particular shot was an odd choice. Branagh will focus on a unique angle instead of a character. I feel like you are never on the train with these characters, but very much on a set with the actors. Many panning shots are too exaggerated to let you dive into this unique world.

My biggest gripe is that so many factors distract you while you are watching. As each character is introduced, you are surprised with every big name actor and actress that appears, but no one disappears into the role. Every line spoken seems like the actor saying it not the character. The blame for this is not the major name casting alone. For the costumes are very pretty, but distractedly so. The outfits are so well tailored that they look unbelievable in the time period. The styles all mix and match like each character looks like they are from a different movie entirely. The cast looks so weird in their respective makeup that they all stand out as strange looking. They look so well tailored or oddly painted up for the movie they are actually unbelievable to the point of being distracting.

This brings up my main distraction that I've been holding off on addressing: Kenneth Branagh's Poirot mustache! It's so ridiculous and notable that it looks goofy. Every time Branagh is on screen he is distracting because you immediately look at his three layered, oiled up, greasy facial hair and makeup. It's a shame too because Branagh probably has the best performance in the whole film despite his atrociously accent. Branagh's Belgian accent is never believable and it too forced and fake. Murder on the Orient Express is an exercise in trying to focus on the plot while you are constantly looking away from Branagh's gaudy mustache. At least, Branagh gets across Poirot's moral conundrum that Murder on the Orient Express forces him to confront, but he's eating up the scenery at times when his presence should be more subtle.

As a side note, I found Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Johnny Depp to be the only compelling supporting cast members. Everyone else was miscast or could not act. Watching Murder on the Orient Express is so frustrating because you want to like it, but it keeps letting you down. Dafoe really shines, but his role is relatively small. Pfeiffer is really emotive, but a bit melodramatic at times. Depp is surprisingly engaging, but his role is minimal at best. These performances grouped with Branagh's eccentric, yet entertaining detective are the highlights of the movie for me. The remaining cast do not really contribute much other than more distractions.

In the end, Murder on the Orient Express will age poorly with its already dated CGI, too lavish costumes, overbearing mustache and makeup, over acted performances, weird shots, and bland take on Poirot. All of these detrimental attributes accounted for and Murder on the Orient Express will entertain most audiences for an afternoon. I recommend you see it for a single watch unless you can watch any of the other adaptations of Murder on the Orient Express, then watch one of those as they are the better movies.