Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

"I have the advantage. I can only see the world as it should be so the imperfections stand out."

Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is probably the greatest detective in the world.  After solving a case in Israel, he is looking forward to a vacation, but needs to return to London for his next case.  He runs into Bouc (Bateman), an old friend who is the director of the Orient Express.  Bouc makes arrangements for Poirot to travel in the first class car on the Orient Express.

During the trip, American businessman Edward Ratchett (Depp) asks Poirot to be his bodyguard.  The next morning they find Ratchett's body with multiple stab wounds.  No one entered or exited the first class car overnight and the train is stuck in the snow.  Poirot agrees to investigate the murder, with help from Bouc, and focuses his investigation to the first class passengers and staff.  The suspects include Ratchett's assistant Hector MacQueen (Gad), butler Edward Masterman (Jacobi), talkative American divorcee (Hubbard), missionary Pilar Estravados (Cruz), Dr. Arbuthnot (Odom Jr.), teacher Mary Debenham (Ridley), professor Gerhard Hardman (Dafoe), Italian car salesman Biniamino Marquez (Garcia-Rulfo), elderly Princess Dragomiroff (Dench) and her maid Hildegard Schmidt (Colman), violent Count Rudolph Adrenyi (Polunin) and his wife Countess Andrenyi (Boynton), and train conductor Pierre (Kenzari).  Can Poirot find the killer before the train reaches it's destination?


This film is a remake of the 1974 film Murder on the Orient Express, which is based on Agatha Christie's 1934 novel "Murder on the Orient Express."  The story was inspired by the Charles Lindbergh case in 1932.  She chose the location based on the 1929 story of when the Orient Express was stuck in the snow for 5 days near Istanbul.

Christie wrote 45 stories featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, this is the 10th story and 8th novel.  He was one of her most popular characters, along with Miss Marple.  The character has appeared in several films and TV shows.  20th Century Fox announced their plan to adapt the novel in 2013.  They hired Michael Green to write the script and Kenneth Branagh to direct and star as Hercule Poirot.

Branagh called on his friends and frequent costars to fill the main cast.  Branagh is a good Poirot and drives the film and the action.  Each member of the cast delivers a compelling and interesting performance.  The setting is lush and colorful and helps immerse you in the world.

I prefer the 1974 version, but this film is still interesting and worth checking out.

The final scene of the film sets up a potential sequel, based on Christie's 1937 novel "Death on the Nile."  20th Century Fox and Agatha Christie's estate were pleased with the film and are developing a sequel, Death on the Nile, and hope to adapt more Hercule Poirot stories.  Branagh will again direct and star in the film.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) 114 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for violence and thematic elements
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot
Tom Bateman as Bouc
Penelope Cruz as Pilar Estravados
Willem Dafoe as Gerhard Hardman
Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff
Johnny Depp as Edward Ratchett
Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen
Derek Jacobi as Edward Masterman
Leslie Odom Jr. as Dr. Arbuthnot
Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard
Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham
Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt
Lucy Boynton as Countess Andrenyi
Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Biniamino Marquez
Sergei Polunin as Count Rudolph Andrenyi