Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express is a mystery drama film directed by Kenneth Branagh and based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.  

The film takes place in 1930s Europe, with famous detective Hercule Poirot boarding the legendary Orient Express for a small break in between cases. While on board, he meets an interesting assortment of characters. One fellow passenger, Edward Ratchett, implores Mr. Poirot to assist him while on the train as he fears for his well-being, though Poirot respectfully declines. The next morning, Ratchett is found stabbed to death. With the train halted due to an avalanche derailing the engine, and with the evidence and suspects piling up, Poirot finds himself diving into a case that could be his biggest one yet.

Murder on the Orient Express boasts on of the biggest ensemble casts, full to the brim with A-list stars including, Branagh in the pivotal role of Poirot, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Dame Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer and Daisy Ridley.

Now I'll be honest here, the first thing that piqued my interest about Murder on the Orient Express was Daisy Ridley being in the film. I absolutely adored her work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and being a relative newbie to the film industry had no previous work before doing Star Wars. So I was really interested to see her in something different and to see if she was able to differentiate herself from the character that she is and always will be synonymous for, Rey. And it's safe to say she did. Ridley held her own against everyone else and it's safe to day that there's a bright future ahead for her.

In saying that, all of the ensemble were equally outstanding, there was no one person, bar Branagh who stood out above the rest. Even though they weren't given much opportunity to shine as individuals, all of the them gave performances that blended and molded so well together which allowed a seamless story to flow, with connections and revelations weaving and intertwining into an extremely compelling and interesting story. With such a top pedigree of acting class comes a certain level of gravitas which very much helps drive Murder on the Orient Express to the great heights it achieves. 

Branagh was outstanding as Poirot. He commanded the screen from start to finish and was both funny with his dry sense of humour along with pensive and serious when the time called for it. His mustache was amazing, I've never seen anything quite like it before but it really suited him. 

Prior to seeing the film I had never read Agatha Christie's novel or seen the 1974 film, so I had no prior knowledge of who the murder turned out to be. I found the revelation to be an interesting twist that made a lot of sense, but some may be disappointed with how it turns out.

The way in which they led up to the murder on the train was done very well. It was established in a very clear and entertaining way just how intelligent and meticulous Poirot is and through his character we get enough backstory on each of the other passengers on the train to give us a slight understanding of who they all are, what their motivations may be and where they fit among the societal hierarchy.

Murder on the Orient Express had such beautiful cinematography. You could tell that every single shot was poured over with love and care. From the start of the film with wide expansive shots of Jerusalem to the close quarters shots on the train which were so well though out and executed. I never thought there would be so many different angles you could shoot of such a small and confined space but Branagh made it possible.   

I can see this movie being nominated for a best costume design Academy Award. The outfits were beautiful and fit the time period to a tee. Each character had their own unique and distinct style and the level of detail on each of the pieces were simply stunning.

Overall, for someone who had zero prior knowledge of the plot of the movie I found it to be very entertaining and maintained my interest until the very end. I think the same could also be said for people who know the story well due to the outstanding casting choices, modern take on the tale and the lovely cinematography. 

I 100% recommend checking out Murder on the Orient Express because in the end, it's a cool murder mystery and who doesn't love that?

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