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‘Murder on the Orient Express’ takes audience on thrilling journey
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Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot (twitter.com/MOTOEmovie/File)
T
he character of eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot returns to the silver screen in star-studded film Murder on the Orient Express. Helmed by actor-director Kenneth Branagh, the film takes its audience on a thrilling journey on the luxurious Orient Express train.
Murder on the Orient Express was first adapted into a film in 1974 from Agatha Christie's popular 1934 novel of the same name.
In the 2017 version, which is also based on the novel, detective Poirot (Branagh) decides to take a vacation after finishing a case in Jerusalem, but it does not last long as his presence is needed to solve a case.
With his friend Bouc (Tom Bateman), Poirot hops on the Orient Express alongside fellow passengers Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley), Dr. Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Jr.), Caroline Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp) with his assistant Hector MacQueen (Josh Gad), Edward Masterman (Derek Jacobi), Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz), Gerhard Hardman (Willem Dafoe) and Natalia Dragomiroff (Judi Dench) with her maid Hildegard Schmidt (Olivia Colman). There are also the inseparable count and countess, Rudolph Andrenyi (Sergei Polunin) and Helena Andrenyi (Lucy Boynton), respectively, as well as Italian salesman Biniamino Marquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and conductor Pierre Michel (Marwan Kenzari).
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The trip seems to go well until the train gets stuck in a snow drift and, to make matters worse, a passenger is found dead in their compartment. At first, Poirot is reluctant to find out who the murderer is, but Bouc persuades him to attempt to solve the case. Poirot discovers a connection between the victim and one of the passengers over a past kidnapping and murder, and the mystery begins to unravel.
Murder on the Orient Express can be enjoyed by those who have yet to read the book but enjoy detective films. Poirot, with his upward-curled mustache, introduces each character, dissecting their habits, throughout the film. Meanwhile, fans of Christie may find some differences between the film and the novel, but several similarities remain nonetheless.
According to Variety, Twentieth Century Fox announced that they are working on the film’s sequel, based on Christie’s Death on the Nile.
Murder on the Orient Express is showing in cinemas across the country. (asw)
