Murder on the Orient Express review

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS:

NOT KENNETH BRANAGH’S STRONGEST BUT A SOLID REMAKE AND MYSTERY FILM OVERFLOWING WITH TALENT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Everyone is a suspect in the Murder on the Orient Express

            Do not be fooled by the trailers, this is not a film adaptation of the board game, Clue…we already had that back in the 80s. Anyway, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Cinderella (2015), Dunkirk) comes a remake of the 1974 classic mystery film, Murder on the Orient Express based on the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.

            I’m not familiar with the original book but I have seen the 1974 film adaptation before that starred Albert Finney and was directed by Sidney Lumet. It was considered a classic by many, both a financial and critical success, and even nabbed six Oscar nominations with Ingrid Bergman winning for Best Supporting Actress.

            We’re all familiar with the traditional reaction that occurs every time a beloved film gets a remake, I’M LOOKING AT YOU HAUNTING 1999! However once in a while a remake will come along that ends up being decent in its own way and sometimes even better than the original like the Coen Brothers’ True Grit, so where does Murder on the Orient Express fit in? Eh.

            This movie probably didn’t need to exist and doesn’t come close to topping the original or even being as good as it. But like the 1974 film it has a star-studded cast, gorgeous production design, and a mystery that keeps you on your toes which results in a perfectly serviceable remake.

            The film follows Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot (Branagh) boarding the Orient Express train for a vacation from his detective work. He makes the acquaintance of twelve other strangers on the train and it starts off as a relaxing ride.

            That is until one of the passengers is murdered and the train gets stuck in an avalanche thus delaying their arrival. Upon realizing a passenger was killed in the middle of the night Hercule must find out who the suspect is before that person strikes again, however he’s trapped on a train with twelve other people it could be anyone and he might discover a dark truth behind the murder.

            The film also stars Tom Bateman (Da Vinci’s Demons, Jekyll and Hyde, Snatched) as Bouc, Penélope Cruz (Volver, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) as Pilar Estravados, Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Spider-Man, John Wick) as Gerhard, Judi Dench (James Bond franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Philomena) as Princess Dragomiroff, Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Samuel Ratchett, Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Marshall) as Hector MacQueen, Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park, The King’s Speech, Cinderella (2015)) as Edward Henry Masterman, Leslie Odom Jr. (CSI: Miami, Big Day, Red Tails) as Dr. Arbuthnot, Michelle Pfeiffer (The Witches of Eastwick, Batman Returns, Mother!) as Caroline Hubbard, Daisy Ridley (Scrawl, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Only Yesterday) as Mary Debenham, Marwan Kenzari (Collide, Ben-Hur (2016), The Mummy (2017)) as Pierre Michel, Olivia Colman (Peep Show, Hot Fuzz, The Lobster) as Hildegarde Schmidt, Lucy Boynton (Miss Potter, Sing Street, Gypsy) as Countess Elena Andrenyi, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (One for the Road, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, The Magnificent Seven (2016)) as Biniamino Marquez, dancer, Sergei Polunin as Count Rudolph Andrenyi, and Miranda Raison (Doctor Who, Plus One, My Week with Marilyn) as Sonia Armstrong.

            Overall, Murder on the Orient Express is a decently made remake even if it doesn’t quite capture the chills of the original or add much new to the story. If you’ve seen the 1974 film then you know exactly how it’s going to end and what’s going to happen which is both a strength and a huge flaw of the movie, it’s great if you’ve never seen the original and hopefully you’ll be shocked but outside of the production design (which is absolutely beautiful) and some of the performances this one doesn’t amount to much for people who are already familiar with the source material.

            It’s a Kenneth Branagh production after all so of course the cinematography and production design would be epic and gorgeous to look at. And damn does this guy know how to shoot winter? He manages to make the season both beautiful and creepy at the same time and I’m shocked this movie wasn’t released in IMAX because a film like this should be on a bigger screen.

            Besides the cinematography most of the performances by the film’s star-studded cast are spot on despite many of them being supporting roles especially Branagh, Depp, Pfeiffer, and Dench, they own every scene in the movie whenever they’re on-screen. It’s hard to say whether or not Kenneth Branagh surpassed Albert Finney in the role of Hercule but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t as good.

            If you’re looking for a movie that has a sense of mystery and suspense as well as impressive production design and a star-studded cast this might be worth a viewing in the cinema. However, if you’re expecting a remake of the original that expands on the source material and gives a fresh new take on the story then this might be a train to miss.