Murder on the Orient Express – Throwback Review

Production Company: Twentieth Century Productions

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video, HBO Go, Hulu, Youtube

Release Date: November 10, 2017

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Rating: PG-13

Description:

Although this movie was released in 2017, I just recently came across it in a local movie rental store. This is a remake of the 1974 movie which was based on the 1934 novel and it feels timeless. To begin with, the cast is astronomical and breathtaking. The director, Kenneth Branagh, used simple yet sophisticated costumes, cinematography, and a subtle soundtrack to make such an impactful story.

Calling back to Sherlock Holmes, the viewer gots lost at every twist and turn, not knowing more than what is given to us. We have an unreliable narrator, Hercule Poirot, who keeps the audience in the dark of what all the clues mean. Not until the very end of the movie, do we have an answer to our mystery. It is given to us by Hercule in a comical manner, mocking the Last Supper but with suspects.

The beauty in this film is not the cheeky characters stuck on the train together or the brilliant, gruff detective. It is how perfectly human and relatable these people and their plight was. Every director strives to make characters more personable and I feel like this is the first film in ages that managed to pull off an excellent murder mystery without stereotypical or cliche characters. Murder on the Orient Express made every character feel unique, fun, and charming in their own perfect little way.

The simple setting of train cars allows the story to totally take over and create an immersive storyline. You honestly forget about the actors playing the character and you feel comfortable, attached and concerned about each character and their own storyline. This breathtaking mystery created an awe-inspiring movie that I would watch time and time again.

This movie deserved every nomination and award it received.

I gave this movie a 9.5/10.