Murder on the Orient Express

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Murder on the Orient Express is the newest film to be based off of Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name. The movie is directed by and stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a character deemed as “perhaps the greatest detective in the world.” He is on a train with a bunch of strangers. One night, one of the passengers is murdered and Poirot must find out who committed the crime while an avalanche blocks off the train. Brannagh as Poirot is excellent. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually read the novel, so I don’t remember how accurate the movie is to the book. The character has his share of odd quirks, and the comedic feel is really damn good. Johnny Depp is probably at the best he’s been in a little while. The character does feel a little exaggerated, but it doesn’t feel as extreme as it’s been in something like Mortdecai. His character is pretty creepy, and actually isn’t a guy you like very much. Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Leslie Odom,Jr., and Willem Dafoe should all be commended as well. These are characters that are given some good dramatic moments, and the actors all deliver. While I can say Olivia Colman, Manuel Garcia-Rufol, and Judi Dench were good as well, their more dramatic moments never felt as though they were particularly well served. The characters of the Count and the Countess felt like they were lost in the shuffle. I remember seeing them near the beginning of the film, but by the time they were brought back, I forgot they were still there, which isn’t necessarily a great sign for a murder mystery. The production design is excellent, and the interior of the train is fantastic. At times, there are some of uses of CGI. It’s not one of those things that everybody is going to notice, even if I did. I didn’t think it looked that great, but it’s a nitpick, and doesn’t happen very often. Murder on the Orient Express is a movie that some chinks in the armor here and there, but works more often than it doesn’t.

7 / 10