Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Classic story, wonderful acting
Cons: Time constraints hamper story and characters
The Bottom Line:
Classic Christie tale
Told with great modern actors
Overall good take
“I Recognize That Mustache.”
I am often a little embarrassed to admit that with how much
I love mysteries, I have read very little Agatha Christie. One of the few I’m familiar with is Murder on the Orient Express, thanks to
listening to the audio book a few years ago.
So, when I heard about a new big screen adaptation, I knew I had to see
it. Despite the mixed reviews, I found I
enjoyed it.
We meet famed detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) in
Israel where he is working the case of a stolen relic that could start an inter
faith war if he doesn’t figure it out in time.
With the case concluded, he thinks he deserves a vacation, but a summons
when in Istanbul finds him boarding the Orient Express at the last minute as he
heads to London.
On the train, he begins to meet his fellow passengers,
including Mr. Ratchett (Johnny Depp).
Ratchett is a business man of dubious ethics who is afraid that one of
the people he’s swindled might be out to get him. He wants to hire Poirot to watch his back,
but Poirot refuses.
Their second night on the train, an avalanche traps the
train. While everyone has their bumps
and bruises, Poirot discovers in the morning that Ratchett is dead. Murdered, in fact. Stabbed. Despite his desire for a vacation, Poirot
finds himself pressed into service. Is
one of his fellow passengers a killer?
There are twelve suspects in this case, and this movie
clearly shows why some stories work better as books than movies. In the book, we get time to know all the
suspects. There just isn’t time for that
here. It’s not a fault of the writers,
it’s just a flaw of the medium. It’s a
shame since this movie has such a huge cast of well-known names with the likes
of Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, and Judi Dench. Everyone is fantastic at making the most of
their screen time, but it isn’t enough to truly show off their talents.
Not having read many of the Poirot stories, I don’t have a
solid picture in my mind of the detective.
I know some people who complained that Kenneth Branagh isn’t at all the
way Poirot is described. Honestly, that
didn’t bother me. I did find his
mustache very distracting, and not at all the way I pictured it in the
book. At times, it felt like he was a
bit more Sherlock Holmes personality wise than his own character. At times, I even saw some Monk in him. While only occasional references to “little
grey cells” are made, I was okay with that.
Honestly, I find that phrase overused when describing Poirot. The movie gives Poirot a love interest in his
past. We don’t know much about this
relationship, but he does talk to her picture a few times as a device to allow
us to hear his thoughts on the case.
And the case feels short shafted here. In the book, it is a carefully constructed
puzzle that leads to only one logical conclusion. It’s a story that is masterful even rereading
it. Again, because of the time
constraints, some of these plot points get condensed, which makes the story
feel rushed. It’s all there, but I was
glad I had the background of the novel to make it easier to follow.
The movie tries to have some beautiful shots. Unfortunately, their location budget must
have been small and their effects budget just as small. It’s obvious most of the time when they are using
effects instead of a physical location.
This is mainly worth noting only in passing.
In addition to starring, Kenneth Branagh also directed the
film. He made a few interesting artistic
choices designed, I suspect, to show us how cramped the train is. Instead, they just make those scenes
weird. I’m thinking especially of the
scenes shot from above, where we see the tops of the actor’s heads as they
carry on a conversation. Fortunately,
those are rare.
The movie does add in a dash more action and vary the
locations for a few scenes to keep things from getting too slow and repetitive
for the viewers, and these changes worked for me.
Let me make it clear, I think this film works overall and
captures this story well. It takes on an
almost impossible task, so it is easy to spot the flaws. But I was drawn into the story as I watched
it, and the climax is riveting.
So, if you are looking for an old fashioned mystery, this is
a movie to go see. Murder on the Orient Express isn’t perfect, but it is enjoyable for
fans of the classic story.
It's the mustache that's holding me back, lol. I look at him and I just don't see Poirot.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Mark. I'm torn. I know the story so well that I'm not driven to see the movie, except a costume drama on a train is right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen this yet. I thought the 1974 version with Albert Finney was wonderful, and of course, in recent years David Suchet has become, for most of us, the definitive Poirot. I have read quite a few Poirot novels. He is a fussy little man, smaller even than Suchet, but Suchet carries off the smallness beautifully. For me, Kevin Branagh is way too tall. A wonderful actor, but Poirot? Hmm... Still debating whether I will spoil it for myself by going.
ReplyDeleteThe closest thing Poirot had to an attraction to a woman was in a short story set during his police days, but a portrait? He would see romance as getting in the way of his intellectual concentration. He is kind to women, but mostly when he needs to get information.
And as I recall, in the novel, he was positively gleeful at having something to keep his mind busy, even if someone had to be killed for it, not annoyed at missing his holiday!
I very much agree, Mark. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it. That said, I wanted more puzzle. The solving felt more linear and less twisty. If that makes sense. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence about this one because I loved the book so much. I doubt I'll be seeing it in the theater but I will probably see it when it comes to HBO. The portrait thing is a bit odd. Maybe to give him a sounding board since so much of the book is internal. It doesn't seem very Poirot-y though. There was a Russian Countess and there may have been a miniature of her but I can't imagine him talking to it.
ReplyDelete