Review- Murder on the Orient Express

As you probably know, Murder on the Orient Express is based on the classic Agatha Christie novel and this is another in a long line of film adaptations of that story. It's about famous detective Hercule Poirot, a man who is simply looking for some time off and finds himself on board the Orient Express. While on board however, a murder happens, the train is stranded in the snow and Poirot is the only one on board appropriately equipped to solve the murder. I'm not sure if praising the plot is a plus for the film seeing as it's so well established but you can't deny the quality of a rip roaring mystery story. The twist is one of those that is just a part of pop culture and very well known but somehow, I didn't actually know what was going to happen and watching it play out is very exciting.

There is an incredible cast in this film (both in talent and just sheer numbers) and they're probably the best thing about the film for me. Kenneth Branagh takes the lead as Poirot and he's pretty good. His moustache is outrageous, as is his accent but it works oddly enough. Really, the best thing to do here is just list the notable cast and how they were. Daisy Ridley lacks the charisma she had in Force Awakens but still does a good job, Penelope Cruz isn't given much to do but is a great on screen presence, Derek Jacobi is barely in the film but seeing him makes me smile, Lucy Boynton presents an interesting yet unpredictable character, Michelle Pfeiffer is slimy and mysterious in the best ways, Judi Dench is oddly underutilised as is Olivia Colman but their scenes together were great and Willem Dafoe is good but much better in The Florida Project which just came out (please go see The Florida Project). Two actors who really surprised me though were Johnny Depp and Josh Gad. My hatred for Johnny Depp is well publicised (I wrote a whole blog post on it) but this role is perfect for him. He has to be scummy, unlikable and then die. It might be my favourite role of his. While I don't quite hate Josh Gad, I often find him an annoying presence in films but here, I saw the character, not Gad and as such, I got into his performance, probably the best in the film behind Branagh. While not all of the performances are amazing, just watching the cast assembled together is a delight and the thing that probably draws most people to the film.

I suppose next we should get to directing, in which Branagh also takes centre stage. An important thing to get out the way first is that the film is shot on 65mm film, being one of only four films this decade to do so. It pays off. Even when Branagh goes for shots that don't work on a more emotional or narrative based level, they really do look great. As I just brushed over though, the directing isn't always spot on. Branagh is most familiar with directing Shakespeare where not much directing is needed (aside from for actors) so when trying to pull of some showier flair that brings the murder mystery to life, not everything works. Much does but the film comes across uneven. Plus, despite being an adaptation of a story that by all accounts is perfectly gripping, the film sags in the middle. The opening brought me in and the end was satisfying but much like the fictional one on screen, the ride to the end wasn't entirely smooth.

Murder on the Orient Express is a perfectly fine film. It doesn't really do anything especially bad and has plenty of enjoyment in it but is just non-essential. If you need a film to see with a group of people and you've already done Thor, this is going to be a good choice and probably worth it to see the reactions of people unfamiliar with the plot. Seeing as I can't say the film is bad, nor can I really say don't see it, I give the film a

.