All aboard . . .
Starring: Far too many to name here
Director: Kenneth Branagh
The Plot: It's December in the 1930's. Famous detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) has just begun a holiday in Istanbul when he receives an urgent summons to London. He boards the Orient Express, unusually fully booked for the time of year, and among the other passengers is a gangster called Ratchett (Johnny Depp) who has been receiving death threats. When the train becomes derailed by snow, Ratchett is murdered overnight, and Poirot must race against time to find the killer. But as he quickly discovers, all of the passengers have some kind of link to a crime Ratchett previously committed, making everyone a suspect . . .
Review: While not her bestselling novel (that accolade goes to And Then There Were None), Murder on the Orient Express has long been one of Agatha Christie's most popular and well-known novels featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It's been adapted for the screen and television multiple times, with its famous 1974 theatrical version giving Ingrid Berman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It's therefore very common for people who've never read the book or seen a version of it performed to still know its rather infamous plot twist involving the unmasking of the killer. On the off chance that you, dear reader, are one of those people who doesn't know what it is, fear not because I'm not going to reveal it in this review.
I personally have never been a fan of Agatha Christie or Poirot, despite my enjoyment of crime stories, so I fall into the category of someone who's never read the book or seen an adaptation, but I was aware of the plot twist. So I approached this film with interest, given the cast and the unusual music used in the trailer, and wondered if it could win me over. On the whole, it did. But I must make the concession that I can't comment on how accurate this version is to the book, so bear that in mind if you're a Christie fan.
Let's start by talking about that cast. The story features a broad and complex array of characters, and this film features a tremendous ensemble: as well as the aforementioned Branagh and Depp, we also have Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Derek Jacobi, Dame Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Olivia Colman, Josh Gad and Penélope Cruz, amongst others. It's one of the most impressive line-ups that I've seen for some time, but unfortunately that's both a blessing and a curse due to the nature of the story: with such a large amount of characters none of them (save for Branagh) get a significant amount of screen time, and the performances vary from grounded to over the top.
As Poirot, Branagh adopts a ridiculous moustache and an equally ridiculous French accent and gives a mixed performance: he attempts to play the character both for laughs (such as his slight arrogance, his moustache mask when sleeping and his laughter at Charles Dickens) and seriousness, particularly during the film's conclusion where Poirot's deep-seated belief that all crimes must see justice are challenged. There are moments where he's very effective, and moments where he starts to go over the top as well. For the most part I found him entertaining.
The film does offer some excellent cinematography. There are some beautiful sweeping exterior shots at the beginning and end, and as the bulk of the story takes place on the train itself there's very effective use of the cramped interiors of the carriages to give a slight claustrophobic feel to events. What I was most impressed with, however, was the structure of the story itself: even if (like me) you're not a Christie fan, it was obvious what a well-crafted whodunit story this is. Paced well and with clues liberally sprinkled here and there, it was easy enough to follow along and I imagine that those who don't know the plot twist will be genuinely surprised when the revelation comes.
Review: While not her bestselling novel (that accolade goes to And Then There Were None), Murder on the Orient Express has long been one of Agatha Christie's most popular and well-known novels featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It's been adapted for the screen and television multiple times, with its famous 1974 theatrical version giving Ingrid Berman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It's therefore very common for people who've never read the book or seen a version of it performed to still know its rather infamous plot twist involving the unmasking of the killer. On the off chance that you, dear reader, are one of those people who doesn't know what it is, fear not because I'm not going to reveal it in this review.
I personally have never been a fan of Agatha Christie or Poirot, despite my enjoyment of crime stories, so I fall into the category of someone who's never read the book or seen an adaptation, but I was aware of the plot twist. So I approached this film with interest, given the cast and the unusual music used in the trailer, and wondered if it could win me over. On the whole, it did. But I must make the concession that I can't comment on how accurate this version is to the book, so bear that in mind if you're a Christie fan.
Let's start by talking about that cast. The story features a broad and complex array of characters, and this film features a tremendous ensemble: as well as the aforementioned Branagh and Depp, we also have Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Derek Jacobi, Dame Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Olivia Colman, Josh Gad and Penélope Cruz, amongst others. It's one of the most impressive line-ups that I've seen for some time, but unfortunately that's both a blessing and a curse due to the nature of the story: with such a large amount of characters none of them (save for Branagh) get a significant amount of screen time, and the performances vary from grounded to over the top.
As Poirot, Branagh adopts a ridiculous moustache and an equally ridiculous French accent and gives a mixed performance: he attempts to play the character both for laughs (such as his slight arrogance, his moustache mask when sleeping and his laughter at Charles Dickens) and seriousness, particularly during the film's conclusion where Poirot's deep-seated belief that all crimes must see justice are challenged. There are moments where he's very effective, and moments where he starts to go over the top as well. For the most part I found him entertaining.
The film does offer some excellent cinematography. There are some beautiful sweeping exterior shots at the beginning and end, and as the bulk of the story takes place on the train itself there's very effective use of the cramped interiors of the carriages to give a slight claustrophobic feel to events. What I was most impressed with, however, was the structure of the story itself: even if (like me) you're not a Christie fan, it was obvious what a well-crafted whodunit story this is. Paced well and with clues liberally sprinkled here and there, it was easy enough to follow along and I imagine that those who don't know the plot twist will be genuinely surprised when the revelation comes.
As as the aforementioned mixed performances, I do need to point out a chase sequence where Poirot pursues one of the suspects across a bridge which felt odd and out of place - again I don't know if this is in the book or not, but it felt off. There's also a rather odd choice of ballad that plays across the end credits, which is something that always irks me in films.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A mixed set of performances from what is an impressive ensemble cast, along with some other small issues, spoil what is otherwise an enjoyable adaptation of Christie's classic story. It's well shot and the tale itself manages to shine, but ultimately the performances are where it falters.
No comments:
Post a Comment