The fall film season is notorious for its award-worthy, quality films. This year, many great titles are unspooling on the big screen, but there is one sure stand-out: Murder On The Orient Express. This film, based, on the classic mystery novel by Agatha Christie, is actually the third filmed version of the story. The 1974 version featured a star-studded cast and garnered an Academy Award for Featured Actress Ingrid Bergman. In 2010, the Poirot TV series took a “stab” at the story. The newest incarnation is directed by Kenneth Branagh with a cast that matches the 1974 version for star power, that includes Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Branagh himself as the famed detective, Hercule Poirot. This review may contain spoilers so beware when reading further.

This version of Murder On The Orient Express is clever and entertaining. A luxury train is en route to London from Istanbul, and among its passengers is detective Hercule Poirot. He shares a first class compartment with a group of eccentric, perfect strangers that include a perfectly repugnant Edward Ratchett (Depp) who is convinced that mayhem awaits, just down the tracks. Lo and behold, on the second night of the trip, a murder occurs and Poirot is forced to search for clues and investigate each passenger in order to find the killer before he himself is targeted.

The audience is kept on the edge of their seats as the tightly knit plot slowly unravels to reveal its secrets. Part of the fun in the piece is watching as each character attempts to mask his or her potential guilt behind a facade of innocence. Unless one is familiar with the solution of the crime, the twist unfolds with perfect clarity for those who may have struggled following the complex story line.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film is its cinematography. As most of the story takes place en route to London from Istanbul, the scenery through Western Europe was absolutely stunning. Much of the film was shot in the valleys of the Italian Alps. During this alpine sequence, an incredibly realistic avalanche occurs which halts the train in place, trapping Poirot and the rest of the passengers in sub zero temperatures with the mysterious killer.

While it’s not the first time that this story has been adapted to the big screen, this is definitely being presented on its grandest scale yet. With a large handful of A-list actors and a huge Hollywood budget, director Kenneth Branagh had the potential to make an instant classic.

However, the character development was rather weak considering the credentials of the amazing cast. This was probably due to the lack of time allotted to fully develop characters because of time constraints. With so many suspects, it would be nearly impossible to give each of them their due.
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This is slightly disappointing because quality character development is key to a classic detective movie. Nonetheless, the story made up for it. The plot twist in the end was well done and very unexpected. Overall, this film was a good spin on the original text, and is loads of fun. All aboard the Orient Express to witness the mystery unfold for yourself.