Reported By:
| Edited By: Rucha Sharma |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Nov 24, 2017, 11:34 AM IST
Film - Murder on the Orient Express
Cast - Kenneth Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Penelope Cruz, Tom Bateman, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Sergei Polunin, Lucy Boynton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Olivia Coleman, Willem Dafoe
Director - Kenneth Branagh
Based on Agatha Christie's popular novel of the same name, Murder on the Orient Express is a story of world's best detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) solving a case.
Set in the '30s, after solving a case in the Old City of Jerusalem, Poirot wants to take rest and vacation in Istanbul. But another case awaits the Belgian detective and he boards the luxurious Orient Express to reach his new destination. One of the affluent passengers on the train, which includes the above-mentioned star-studded cast, gets killed in his compartment and everyone becomes a suspect. How Poirot solves this case of a lifetime is the story of Murder on the Orient Express.
Kenneth Branagh and his blue eyes and Poirot moustache. Now that we have it out of the way, the movie is an engaging suspense story. In the first 20 minutes of the movie, we understand why Poirot is possibly the best detective in the world even with all his eccentricities. Once we settle in the Orient Express' coaches, there is very little movement. It may restrict the action scenes but it makes space for some brilliant verbal repertoire between the detective and the passengers. Branagh once again shows that he is one of the few who can handle double duties as a director and the lead actor.
Johnny Depp is on the screen for a short duration, but even in that time he leaves an impression by perfectly timing his queasy tick as 'The Gangster.' Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad are other two noteworthy mentions. Her character is the only other brain Poirot trusts and Ridley shows that she can hold the screen on her own even when surrounded by the likes of Branagh, Dench, Pfieffer, and Depp. What is only her second big-budget movie, Ridley rules as 'The Governess.' You will never see Josh Gad as only a funnyman from here on. That's enough to say.
Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos shot the movie on 65mm film and it makes the experience a visual delight. The luxurious train feels more sumptuous and provides extra visual details.
The runtime of 1h 54min feels a little long. Penelope Cruz as 'The Missionary' feels like a waste of talent. If writer Michael Green was hoping for Cruz win an Oscar just like Ingrid Bergman won for the Sidney Lumet's 1974 story, the gamble won't pay off.
Please do not compare it to Sidney Lumet's 1974 version and you will actually be able to enjoy it
