Based on the
classic Agatha Christie novel of the same name, and following along the tracks
of numerous televised adaptations, Murder
on the Orient Express (2017) sees Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, arrive
in the form of an impressive-moustache-wielding Kenneth Brannagh, who also
directs. After boarding the legendary train for a break from his work, Poirot
meets a colourful assortment of characters (equally-colourful is the
train-hoggingly-enormous cast that plays them). But when an avalanche stops the
train its tracks, the passengers wake to find that one among them has been murdered in
their cabin. With “probably the greatest detective in the world” on board, so
begins an investigation.
With the likes
of Dame Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp and Sir Derek Jacobi on
board, it makes one wonder how there was any budget left for anything else
(though the price tag of the huge cast alone is probably cheaper than
travelling by rail in the UK). But the cinematography here is beautiful, and
the landscapes too as the train swoops through the gorgeous snowy mountains between
France and Switzerland. The cast is also on top-form, particularly Depp as the
film’s (very temporary) villain – or at least that person you wouldn't want to sit next to. Brannagh is also
delightfully-charismatic as a man whose moral fibre and values are the engine
behind the film’s plot.
Great place to hide a murder weapon
Perhaps one of
the more fascinating whodunits of
recent years – more so of course for those with no prior knowledge as to how
the murder mystery plays out – with a conclusion that’s shocking for reasons
besides the revelation itself, Murder on
the Orient Express (2017) manages
to at least hold your curiosity before it runs out of steam. And while it’s
arguable that the third act is something of an anti-climax, sometimes film is
more about the journey than the destination.
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