Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) Movie Review

Grade: C

Review:

Film Info:

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) is the remake of the popular 1974 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s book of the same name. The story is the same: Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) must solve a murder mystery when his train is stuck due to bad weather and a man is murdered in the night.

In the 1974 version, you really had no idea what was going on until the end; it was incredibly difficult to piece everything together by yourself even though all of the information that is eventually used in the end to solve the mystery is available to you. Hercule Poirot figures out the mystery by getting evidence from, not what the suspects say, but how they say it. Even though you didn’t really know the answer to the puzzle, the film kept you engaged by all of the terrific performances and the fantastic writing.

In this version, the answer is so much easier to figure out with since the mystery is so much simpler. There is a lot of sloppiness about the clues and evidence in this film. Things are said in this film that completely give away the ending. The conclusion is so much more predictable that you’re waiting for Hercule Poirot to catch up to you, not the other way around. What keeps it entertaining (because the mystery isn’t really that great this time) is the lead performance from Kenneth Branagh (who also directs) as Hercule Poirot. He seems to be having a fantastic time in the role and you can’t keep your eyes off him.

Unfortunately, there are more problems with the film, particularly in its ending. This film has an incredibly over-acted and over-dramatic ending that is just annoying to watch. The drama serves no purpose at all and almost undermines the film’s ultimate story. There are even action scenes in the film. Why did this film need those? I just feel like the movie was over-dramatized without need. Whenever a remake comes out, I have to ask if it has any purpose. This film adds a fun scene at the beginning that I liked. And the production looks very sleek and modern. But apart from that, the old-fashioned story was better the way it was in the 1974 version, which was just better written. If you like old-fashioned mysteries, this will probably appeal to you. But I would definitely recommend checking out the 1974 version first.

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