Directed by:
Kenneth BranaghScreenplay:
Michael GreenCinematography:
Haris ZambarloukosComposer:
Patrick DoyleCast:
Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Lucy Boynton, Leslie Odom Jr., Derek Jacobi (more)VOD (3)
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When notorious gangster Ratchett (Johnny Depp) is murdered on a luxurious train ride through Europe, Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) must solve the case before another victim is claimed by one of the 13 mysterious passengers on board. Among the suspects are Princess Dragomiroff (Judi Dench), Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz), a devout missionary, and Mrs Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer), an American widow. Can Poirot identify the killer before another life is taken? (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (13)
“The murderer is taunting me. Ok. His first mistake!" How I would like to not know how it is going to turn out, I thought from start to finish, because if Murder on the Orient Express offered me that detective mystery, it would be even better. But of course, this is not the fault of the film, which is perfect in almost every aspect. Understandably, Poirot (in Branagh's superbly moderate and sensitive performance, with a mustache like from Hogwarts) is the focal point of the plot, but the other characters are certainly not forgotten, the design is digital, but beautiful, and when emotions are supposed to happen, they happen, and it doesn't matter if you know the book or not. Perhaps only Poirot's recollection of Katherine (from The Mystery of the Blue Train) seemed excessive to me and I didn't like the final stumbling block too much, which suggests that the sequel will take place “on the damn Nile".
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"Murder on the Orient Express" is one of Agatha Christie's most celebrated Poirot stories and was first published in 1934. The Lindbergh baby case is also infamous, and its reach can be illustrated, for example, by the fact that in its time it also caused fear in Marlene Dietrich, who hired two bodyguards for her daughter. The trauma caused by the scandal was almost palpable throughout the 1930s... There have been a number of adaptations, whether in film, television, radio, theater, comics, or video games. So is it a good choice to start a new series? Isn't it a shame to start telling new Poirot cases in this notorious way? So far, Kenneth Branagh seems to have been lucky. Soon he will be back again and will surely solve another famous case - Death on the Nile. So what was the recipe used? Branagh was not afraid to make a classic all-star film for today's audience, where it is important that even the smallest roles are played by respected actors. It is all sufficiently idealized, deliberately playing with reverence and yet suspenseful and, where desired, funny. It is therefore an endeavor that can be enjoyed without hesitation. As an added bonus, we get a new song sung by Michelle Pfeiffer - "Never Forget."
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Branagh, after failed experiments with big-budget filmmaking (Jack Ryan, Thor), has managed to find the right chessboard in which he can dabble as a filmmaker, even with his theatrical sensibilities. The stage of four train cars is an ideal setting for him, he can play around with popular formal elements of the theater and still use all the possibilities of cinematic language. You can see his joy in this, the reveling in the various minute details, the blocking, and above all the movement through the scene, where we can either be fooled or collect clues just by working within the film frame. It's true that the film can never match the wildly overpopulated opening in Istanbul, in which one character after another arrives in the crowded streets of a wonderfully hectic big city, but then again there is a place for quiet admiration of the ingenious work with space, in which long, refined shots do their best not to repeat any previous steps. It's a reminiscence of the most classic filmmaking with the most contemporary of means, it's a beauty, and again after a long time a film where there was a storm raging outside, the cinema was leaking, the projection was a little askew, but I sat back, untroubled, waiting to see how the whodunit gets revealed, and wanted for nothing.
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I confess to being a big fan of Agatha Christie and David Suchet's Poirot, so as hard as I tried, I couldn't get past this modern take, where Poirot runs, fights, gets shot at (and hit), steps in dung and then steps in it on purpose again, investigating in a truly un-Poirot-like way. And so on and so forth. This is simply not Hercule Poirot. If they'd just taken inspiration from the prequel and called the detective, say, Jarda Vomáčka, it would have been fine and it would probably have been easier to digest this new Poirot, but nope. Besides, even though it had such a beautiful cast, the acting came across so stilted that I didn't really have anyone to focus on and I was bored for most of the film (except for the scenes where Poirot was deviating from his Poirotness, because I was getting angry and the classic fan in me was fighting it). I admit the visuals were beautiful, but that was the end of it. Definitely a full-on disappointment for me.
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I haven’t seen the original Murder on the Orient Express, whether with Finney or the television version with Suchet, so comparisons aren’t relevant here. But I can say this: I love classic detective stories, and when paired with flawless performances that have no noticeable flaws, we’re looking at one of the best crime films in recent times. Branagh is truly a skilled director, and this time he managed not only his directing role but also took on the role of Poirot himself. While many people struggle with his Poirot due to comparisons, I found his performance to be of a high standard (perhaps influenced by my unfamiliarity with his predecessors and their style). He acted as one of the most brilliant detectives and occasionally threw in a joke. The film is visually captivating, with a successful play of colors, and this aspect is faultless. Returning to the performances, I must praise the casting of the supporting characters. Each role was wonderfully played, and the dialogues written for them made sense. Ironically, Depp shone in his role, but unfortunately, not for long. The gradual build-up wasn’t contrived but rather flawless in its script, and the direction towards such a surprising ending caught me off guard. The final resolution almost took my breath away. I’m looking forward to the shift to Egypt, specifically to the Nile. If it maintains this high standard, we have much to look forward to. I give it 85%.
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