Kenneth Branagh is a show-off.
And as well he should be. He directs and acts in this version of the Agatha Christie novel.
But I think in this case his acting maybe overshadowed by the mustache. And what a mustache it is.
Behold the bearded glory.
Branagh plays the world famous Belgian Inspector Hercule (not Hercules, thank you very much) Poirot, who to start the film solves a crime at the at The Church of the Holy Septurce in Jerusalem. After wards he needs to get back to England to solve a case. His friends Buoc offers him place on the Orient Express.
I am not going to spoil the movie or story for you.
If you are not familiar with the 1934 novel or 1974 original movie adaptation.
Except that there is a murder and Poirot solves it.
The movie is full of well-known stars from Kenneth Branagh, to Johnny Depp as the ill-fated Samual Ratchett, Daisy Ridely, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Williem Defoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Judi Dench are some of the more famous of the cast.
The movie is gorgeous to look at. It was one of the few movies in recent memory to be shot on 65mm. Dunkirk was shot on 65mm this year, in fact used the same equipment because pretty much no one shots on the format anymore.
I was unfamiliar with the story. Once the murder happens the movie delves deep into Poirot obsessive nature and ability to see what is going on. The movie examines each character showing how they could be the murderer, only to then find that there is another more probable suspect.
Because this story was written in 1934. Which I enjoy, that sort of setting requires more creativity and ingenuity to solve the crime. This story increases its tension when an avalanhce stops the train. In this day and age, a trained stopped by avalanche would be obviously known. In 1934 the only way the train knows that something is wrong is when the train doesn’t arrive on time. So most of the tension occurs when the entire population of the train is stuck and there is a known murderer on board. The movie is at it’s most interesting as it explores the possibilities of each character being the murderer.
The movie is fun, but not a classic. Branagh’s accent is enjoyable, but a little distracting. Pfeiffer, Depp, Dench, and Dafoe all give compelling performances.
Final thoughts
I don’t think this is in first run theaters anymore.
I don’t view this as a must see movie.
If you are fans of Johny Depp or Michelle Pfeiffer I would recommend seeing the movie, as they give great performances here.
Catch this at a second run theater or wait until Netflix.