Murder on the Orient Express Movie Review

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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Written by: Michael Green (screenplay by), Agatha Christie (based on the novel by)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley
Rated: R
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Plot
In this retelling of Agatha Christie's classic mystery set in the 1930s, world-renowned detective Hercule Poirot seeks to solve a murder on the famous trans-European train where almost everyone on board is a suspect.

Verdict
It's fun to try and solve an impossible mystery, but this movie makes it a bit too obvious. That and most people know this story already. To counter that, engaging characters would help, but we don't get that either. The most striking character is Poirot's mustache, which shouldn't be the goal. I like the moral dilemma Poirot faces at the end, but it didn't have the impact it should have.
It depends.

Review
This is kind of campy, as it should be. There are a lot of stars in this and I want a little bit of overacting. There is a lot of star power with the many parts. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem like they were having fun. Poirot's mustache is it's own character, and it shouldn't be the most memorable.

The reason this story endures and continue to be remade is that it's a clever mystery. It is, or at least should be, solvable but only just so. The answer flies in the face of convention as far as usual mysteries go. I haven't seen any previous adaptation or read the book, but there didn't seem to be much detective work. The movie told me what I needed. The mystery was never as fun as it should be.

There's a  nice twist for Poirot, a man with the highest of morals, unable to lie faced with a delimma when he discvoers the truth. It didn't have the impact it should have.

The end left this wide open for a sequel. Death on the Nile is scheduled for a release on November 8, 2019 with Branagh returning to direct and star.