Brat Farrar (bratfarrar) wrote,
Brat Farrar
bratfarrar

Review: Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

So, I went into this movie a bit trepidatious--Branagh can be a brilliant director and actor, but can also go a bit ... weird at times. And the opening scene, our introduction to his Poirot, had me a little worried, though quickly in love with the visuals. However I wound up quite liking his Poirot. It's not at all an imitation of Suchet's (which is perfect), or even an attempt to visually recreate the character as described in Christie's novels. Rather, it's Branagh-as-Poirot, and once my brain made that adjustment, the movie was quite, quite enjoyable. And gorgeous, my goodness. Also, Branagh managed to shoot and direct Johnny Depp in such a way that he's not obviously Johnny Depp, which I didn't know was possible anymore.

Granted, unlike in the book there are a few, relatively brief action sequences, though nothing along the lines of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies. But if you enjoyed those, you very well might like this movie as well. It does contain a bit more of an ethical dilemma for the detective, which was handled well enough, and if there is a second movie, as is teased at just before the credits, I'll quite gladly watch that one too.


(Note: there is absolutely no anachronistic music in the movie, unlike the trailer, but this one gives at least a little taste of what it looks like.)
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