Review | Film review: Murder on the Orient Express – Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded, hollow take on Agatha Christie’s classic
The film adaptation of the classic murder-mystery is engaging enough, but somehow unsatisfying, with much of the focus on Poirot, the glitzy costumes, luxurious backdrop and overused CGI
2.5/5 stars
“My name is Hercule Poirot, and I’m probably the greatest detective in the world,” announces Kenneth Branagh’s Belgian sleuth in this flashy take on Agatha Christie’s most famous murder-mystery.
As this suggests, the latest version of the author’s 1934 novel is all about Poirot. From the moment we see him in Jerusalem, fussing over his boiled eggs, it becomes clear that director Branagh is making the Belgian the star of the show.
Every bit as glitzy as Sidney Lumet’s 1974 film with Albert Finney, Sean Connery and Lauren Bacall, Branagh’s take is equally A-list. After introducing the fastidious Poirot (correctly sporting a fabulous moustache), the action turns to Istanbul, where the great and the good board the world’s most fabulous train.
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Branagh knows it, too, sweeping the camera along the platform in a brilliant shot that introduces all the characters. Among them are a missionary (Penelope Cruz), a Russian countess (Judi Dench), a psychiatrist (Willem Dafoe), a shady art dealer (Johnny Depp) and his assistants (Josh Gad and Derek Jacobi), and a widow (Michelle Pfeiffer).