Written by: Michael Green
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer
It's a book that made a name for itself with its famous mystery and has already been filmed a number of times; what can Kenneth Branagh bring to the table?
Well, apart from a glorious mustache that I was tempted to emulate the moment I saw it, nothing particularly new. The film has the usual Branagh charm of attempting to make things as faithful as possible to expectations in terms of storytelling but using the medium of film in his own way to affect the story's tone and style, but so much of that is dependent on the work he adapts and the new ways he can do things, as well as audience familiarity. His adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V was fantastic because the writing his film was based on is, well, Shakespeare, and he did something with the medium of film that was far more than simply filming the play. His version of Thor was far less good; his direction fine, but adapting from a convoluted story originally intended for children, and far too intent on making it look and feel like a comic book without altering the fact that the lore is too much, even for a comic. Murder on the Orient Express adheres to its source, but sometimes so much so that, aside from giving the ensemble a chance to chew the scenery and fawn over the excellent update of the production design, there's not a lot to get out of it.
For those unfamiliar, Murder on the Orient Express is originally an Agatha Christie detective novel following Hercule Poirot, here played by Branagh. While on holiday he travels on the Orient Express to get between cases, but of course there's no rest for the weary Poirot, as during the train's journey, someone is murdered in the night.
Branagh's direction makes great use of the train set to emphasise the tight, claustrophobic nature of the whole affair and the two-faced deception of the suspects. Conversations are often shot through snowed or crystal windows that obscure them in some way, and shots from the top of the set show just how tightly packed everyone is; Branagh has always had a terrific sense of blocking, and every character's position seems deliberate in reinforcing the paranoia, a sense of needing to look over your shoulder but not being able to because it's too tight to turn your head. Unfortunately, this loses out when they open up to scenes outside the train, and later attempts at theatricality end up seeming more self-serious than they may have been intended; a shot of the suspects emulating the last supper gives a strange gravitas that doesn't quite fit. That said, it's still pretty to look at.
Speaking of pretty, the production and set design on this film is gorgeous, and Branagh knows it. An often gratuitous amount of time is spent proudly examining the aesthetics of the film, and deservedly so. Everything from the neatly prepared desserts and bottles of champagne in ice to every detail of the train itself looks slick and somewhat saturated for emphasis. From a purely design standpoint, this movie is fantastic to take in.
The acting is all decent as well. There's so many in this ensemble that nobody gets a real chance to flesh out their character, but everyone gives a respectable performance that suits the initial tone the movie sets, with enough personality to carry each of their scenes. The exception of course is Branagh as Poirot with most of the screentime to play with. He's such a strong English orator that it's a stark contrast to see him playing a soft-spoken Frenchman, and his natural screen presence sometimes betrays his attempt at a softer performance, but it's a convincing Poirot nonetheless.
Verdict: Branagh's stylised direction and everyone's effective performances keep this movie entertaining, even though the former ultimately sets too self-serious a tone as the film comes to a climax. The production design and costuming are almost sublime to look at, but their sheen can't hide the fact that knowing the twist mutes the overall experience, and while the lack of meaningful deviation makes for a good homage it leaves little to get out of it that you couldn't already from previous adaptations or the book itself. If you know the story, you're in for a slick modernisation that doesn't break any new ground. If you don't, it's an intriguing murder-mystery with some moral quandary and a big cast. It's worth seeing, just.
Rating: 6.5/10
Published November 9th, 2017
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