A ruthless murder has occurred on the esteemed Orient Express! Based on the novel written by Agatha Christie, Murder On The Orient Express is a remake of the 1974 classic of the same name. Nobody really asked for this remake, but the story is timeless and I was excited to see how the plot would be reimagined for 2017 cinemas. With an ensemble of many A-List actors, I was curious to see how they would incorporate everyone into the story without it being too crowded.
It was certainly an interesting ride.
Murder On The Orient Express is directed by Kenneth Branagh, and also stars Branagh as the lead, Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective who proclaims himself as “possibly the greatest in the world.” Orient also features Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados, a former nurse and Spanish missionary, one of my personal favorite actors, Willem Dafoe, as Gerhard Hardman, a German professor with questionable beliefs, along with Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, and Daisy Ridley as other passengers on board the train who all become suspects once the grisly crime is committed.
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, 20th Century Fox
First and foremost, the score for this film is really well done. The orchestral music composed for the film is beautiful and driving in certain moments, while tender piano pieces linger in the background during more curious scenes. From the very first minute, the score definitely enhances the tone of the film and never subtracts from what is occurring, a problem with many murder mysteries… coughSnowmancough
The performances in this film are, for the most part, great, especially from Kenneth Branagh, who is hilarious at times but can also show his serious side very well. When the tone shifts in the film from time to time, Branagh has no problem transitioning whatsoever.
Willem Dafoe also stands out, even with his smaller role, playing a similar persona to that of his past films. Normally I have problems with actors who play similar characters in every movie they’re in (such as Samuel L. Jackson) but I’m completely cool with Dafoe because of how great it is time after time.
However, one of my initial fears for this movie was that with so many stars, it would become crowded. This happened in a few moments, but thankfully it doesn’t make the film unwatchable. All of the stars get to have their time in the limelight, but the narrative naturally balances out all the characters to where we aren’t fed too much of one star, and, if we are, it makes up for it with another.
Orient is also, for the most part, shot very well. There are certain sequences where the cuts are few and the scene is made to look like it is one continuous shot, and while it certainly is cool, it can sometimes get in the way and become distracting.
There’s a specific scene where we see Detective Poirot walking through the cars of the train and talking to one of the passengers, but we only get to see the conversation through the window which became increasingly distracting. Also, whenever tense discussions are occurring, the bird’s eye view shot is used quite frequently which I thought was a nice and welcomed touch that made the film different from other murder mysteries.
I also can’t get enough of snowy/wintery movies, which this one is. It’s a beautiful setting for the genre when used correctly. coughSnowmancough
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed Murder On The Orient Express. It’s definitely reminiscent of older mystery movies, which makes for an entertaining ride. While Orient isn’t something you absolutely have to see, you won’t be disappointed if you do.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Aside from a few camera issues, Murder On The Orient Express presents a fun narrative that includes well-acted characters and an excellent score. It’s not a must-see, but one you’ll definitely have fun with.
