Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

User Review

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  marriedtothescreen

  8 / 10

  Agatha Christie’s classic novel is brought to us on the big screen this year by director Sir Kenneth Branagh. The tale of the classic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot also portrayed by Branagh, is world famous for his skills in solving crimes and his mustache. We meet him solving a crime in Jerusalem and catching a ride to Istanbul where he looks forward to a vacation traveling through Europe on the Orient Express train. Mysteries and crimes to solve always seem to find him though as a murder occurs one night.
  
  Branagh brings a stellar cast together to portray the train riders and potential suspects. Johnny Depp fills the role of our shady antiques seller who ends up murdered with Josh Gad and Derek Jacobi as his assistant and elderly butler. Dame Judi Dench portrays Princess Dragomiroff with her maid Olivia Coleman, William Defoe the professor, Penèlope Cruz the missionary, Michelle Pfieffer the widow, and rising star Daisy Ridley as the governess make up some of this impressive cast of suspects. Shot beautifully and a cast working so well together I sat there not even remembering who did the crime from reading and seeing the television version, I just hung onto waiting to hear Poirot figure it out. Christie created a fabulous character that was played beautifully by Branagh. I have heard some complaints about how the crime is solved and that it can seem now like a stereotypical discovering the crime moment but that is Poirot and how he was always written back in the thirties so many things we love now about mystery and investigation stories draw inspiration from Christie’s work. Overall I recommend this movie and is a nice breather between all the big films coming out in the end of the year and is a good enjoyable time to get into the mystery at the theater.

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