Murder on the Orient Express (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Follow Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Duration: 114 minutes

Murder on the Orient Express (Blu-ray) – Movie Review

Site Score
8.3
Good: Flow of the story, Acting, Atmosphere
Bad: If you have seen the old movie this one loses its edge
User Score
7.0
(1 votes)
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Rating: 7.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Agatha Christie is known for the many novels she has written, often within the murder mystery genre, and while she passed away in 1976, many still read her books and many still adore her most famous character, Hercule Poirot, who was originally described as a quirky, egg-headed Belgian detective. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous works, which stars the mustached detective, and in 1974 a movie was made to honor this work. That being said, it seems that the film industry as of late is often reaching back to older ideas, be it remakes, sequels of older movies, or reboots, and Murder on the Orient Express seems to be a clean slate for Hercule Poirot, who has received a significant makeover in the 2017 movie, all while being backed up by a gigantically known cast. We were curious to see how this endeavor turned out, and truth be told, we were left wanting more, and the latter is probably becoming reality with the sequel, Death on the Nile.

Murder on the Orient Express

We’re taken back to 1934 to Jerusalem as a matter of introduction for the famous detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who clearly suffers from OCD, which in many ways defines the personality of the character for the rest of the movie. The detective uses his wits to tackle a case that could have catastrophic consequences for the different religions in Jerusalem, but wants to take a small break after said case. Sadly, his desire for rest is interrupted when he is asked for a new case, back in London but luck has it that he runs into an old acquaintance, by the name of Bouc (Tom Bateman), who is now in charge of the Orient Express, a train that has stops in many different countries, allowing Poirot some time to unwind before having to dive into his new case. Once again fate has other plans for the good detective, especially when a murder occurs on his so-called vacation, forcing him once again to solve a very mysterious case. A murderer is among the passengers, and the clues lead to many different passengers, and when an old case is getting intertwined with this murder mystery, things get complicated really fast.

Murder on the Orient Express 1

The flow of the movie is pretty much spot-on, as you’ll get enough information to process what is going on, all while tickling your interest to keep guessing who could have performed the murder. You’ll notice it’s not one of those tales where you can easily guess the killer, but when the chips are down, you’ll slowly be able to place some pieces of the puzzle together, to at least have a hint of who has done it. This makes the movie not only very interesting, intriguing and exciting, it just gives you a certain value for something you’re casually watching from the comfort of your own sofa.

Acting performances are phenomenal, which is only to be expected with the massive cast supporting this film. You’ll see performances by Johhny Depp, Josh Gadd, Daisy Ridley, Penélope Cruz, Michelle Pfeifer and many more. It’s actually hard to imagine how a sequel could top the current cast of the movie, but that’s something we’ll have to find out in 2019.

The special features on the Blu-ray edition of Murder on the Orient Express are rather bountiful for fans of the detective and mystery genre. You’ll get a small portrait about Agatha Christie, and her iconic character Hercule Poirot. Other than that there are commentaries, a trailer, a gallery and more interesting features about how the movie was made, the cast that was chosen and so on. Overall you’ll be able to extend your movie experience with this physical edition quite a bit, which makes it worth it for a collector of Agathie Christie memorabilia.

Conclusion

Murder on the Orient Express is a great remake of the original movie that aired in 1974, albeit with modernized visuals, a very relevant cast, and a perfect flow to make things interesting, even for those who might already know the clue of the film. Nonetheless, it does lose a bit of its magic if you have seen the original film, or have read the book, as the story is somewhat of a one-trick-pony in terms of ‘who has done the evil deed’. That being said, both fans of Agatha Christie and those who love a good detective movie will surely find a lot of pleasure in this title.

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Murder on the Orient Express (Blu-ray) - Movie Review, 7.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating
Ibuki


Aspiring ninja.

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