Review of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) by Chrisanne C — 18 Nov 2017

The first thing that blows you away about this latest remake of Murder on the Orient Express is its huge star-studded ensemble cast. Boasting of amazing locations, grandiose backdrops, and beautiful costumes, this Agatha Christie who-dun-it book adaptation lifted me to dizzy expectations. That's where it derails. Director Kenneth Branagh fails to take the tale to its right conclusion. He misses the plot, and majors on the minors. Not only do you watch the film halfway through not caring who did it, but also become unable to sympathise with the twist at the end as to why Kenneth Branagh, as lead character Hercule Poirot, would choose to leave justice "imbalanced." The film fails to keep the audience invested in Poirot's character. Nor other characters for that matter.

Where the film struggles, and desperately lacks, is the ability and direction of the screenplay to draw the audience to a thoughtful conclusion to the twist at the end. Simply put, what I call bringing a "Nolan-esque" moment where the audience can take on their emotional journey as they walk out of the cinema, being able to hold conversations long after the film to discuss about what justice really means. While the film is not a train-wreck, it is such a waste of a good opportunity to tell a story that can resonate deeply with an audience that life is not necessarily in black or white, but in shades of grey. What a shame.