Exposition on the Orient Express
I went into Murder on the Orient Express blindly, not knowing anything really about it except for some knowledge about Agatha Christie that I knew and the general knowledge of Murder on the Orient Express. I thought that going in blindly would, in fact, make the film more enjoyable in case the film had a similar ending to the book and all of the other movies and materials. Unfortunately going in blindly didn’t really make too much of a difference as you are not granted the opportunity to figure out who the killer is yourself.
Murder on the Orient Express is based on the book by Agatha Christie which follows the detective Hercule Poirot as he boards a train, the Orient Express, in Istanbul to make his way too London. Once settled into the train one of the passengers has been killed and a pleasant journey for Poirot turns into a complex investigation where Poirot must solve who the killer is before the train arrives at its destination.
Kenneth Branagh directs the film and is also the lead actor as Hercule Poirot. This isn’t an uncommon thing to have in a film, other directors like Ben Affleck put themselves as the main character because maybe that just works better for them. This is the same for Murder on the Orient Express as Branagh does a fantastic job as Poirot but his downfall is with the other cast members and the overall pacing of this murder on a train film.
When I think of other films that take place on a train they are usually fast paced and have a sense of urgency, films like Source Code and Snowpiercer have this as the main characters are trying to solve the crisis at a speed that matches the train. The issue with this version of Murder on the Orient Express is that the pacing is so slow, matching the train that is stuck in the snow, that you can get bored quickly and you’re not frantically trying to solve the murder yourself. Instead of solving the murder yourself you’re watching Poirot make miraculous guesses as he figures everything out. He doesn’t necessarily figure it out for you, the film still has it’s own sense of purpose it just isn’t that interesting to you the viewer. By the end of the film you have been given so many details about the characters and their placing that it doesn’t let you guess who the killer is but instead places it on a silver platter for you as the magnificent Poirot solves everything unlike something like Sherlock Holmes where you figure it out along the way with Sherlock.
The other cast members feel like they are calling it in a little which could be due to Branagh trying to direct them as he directs but he does a really fantastic job as Poirot which the other actors should certainly playoff. The visuals are quite stunning when the train is moving but are a little more lacklustre when you’re seeing the same shots of the train while it has stopped. Branagh does a great job of showing the interior of the train in a different way than normal, there are some great birds-eye shots of characters talking in tight cabins but these are in no way used enough to keep you interested.
Murder on the Orient Express is in no way a bad film. It is simply a film that needed to be slightly different. I understand that this type of material is made to be played out slowly but maybe adding a pinch of modern cinema would’ve been really beneficial for the film. Its slow pace doesn’t make it something you’ll remember and love watching as the train is stuck on the tracks while you watch Poirot figure out who the killer is instead of the train speeding through Europe with Poirot frantically solving the murder before the ride comes to an end.