DIRECTOR: Kenneth
Branagh LEAD CAST: Kenneth
Branagh, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Leslie Odom Jr.,
Willem Dafoe, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Daisy Ridley SCREENWRITER: Michael
Green PRODUCER: Kenneth
Branagh, Mark Gordon, Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, Ridley
Scott EDITOR: Mick
Audsley MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Patrick
Doyle GENRE: Mystery,
Drama CINEMATOGRAPHER: Haris
Zambarloukos DISTRIBUTOR: Warner
Bros. LOCATION: Italy, Malta, New Zealand, France,
England, Turkey RUNNING TIME:
114
minutes
Technical assessment:
4
Moral assessment:
2
CINEMA rating:
V14
At the Wailing
Wall in Jerusalem, the skills of the world famous detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth
Branagh) shine when he solves a particularly tricky crime. Intending to rest a while in France, he boards
the “Orient Express”, a luxurious train from Istanbul, Turkey to Calais,
France. On the train, sinister
businessman Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp) offers Poirot a job as his bodyguard
for the three-day journey, as he had been receiving death threats, but Poirot
rejects it. That very night, Poirot hears
noises from the adjacent compartment, which is Ratchett’s; he looks out the
door and sees a man in a red kimono escaping down the corridor, apparently from
Ratchett’s room. The next day, it is
announced that Ratchett has been stabbed dead.
An avalanche on the snowy mountainside derails the train before it makes
any stop, convincing everyone that the murderer is still on board. While the “Orient Express” undergoes repair
Poirot sets to work to find out who the killer is.
Murder on the Orient
Express is the fourth major adaptation of Agatha Christy’s
classic. With the famous European train of
the 30s, the Orient Express, as the setting, the film features a star-studded
cast—which includes Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Michelle
Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Olivia Colman, Willem Dafoe, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz—where
the stars play supporting roles. Since
Depp dies within 30 minutes of the movie, he gets limited screen time, and
because the movie is plot-centered, the story “divides” the limelight among the
murder suspects. Period detail, costumes,
setting, production design are all excellent, enabling the viewer to
vicariously enjoy the luxury train and its scenic snowy mountain route.
It’s not quite possible to dwell on the moral aspect of Murder on the Orient Express without
getting entangled in spoilers, so suffice it to say that CINEMA gives the film
a “2”—Disturbing—as far as its ethics is concerned. It is hoped that the viewer will be mature
enough to discern the values in the movie and appreciate CINEMA’s rating for
it.
