Movie Review: Murder on the Orient Express

There's been a Murder on the Orient Express. Based of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, it tells the story of the world's most skilled detective, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh). On his way to London on the lavish train the Orient Express, a passenger is murdered shortly after the train derails, forcing Hercule to deduct which of twelve suspects performed the horrendous act. The film has several interesting aspects including the setting, Hercule, and the plot.

The vast majority of the film takes place on the Orient Express, with the only exception being the beginning of the movie when we're introduced to Hercule in Jerusalem. It's an interesting setting; after a storm creates an avalanche that derails the train, all the suspects are trapped on the train with the murderer. It creates both a sense of intimacy and danger. There's not much room on the train, which a clever overhead shot demonstrates. This deepens the air of mystery; the car where the victim was murdered was narrow enough that a conductor was able to sit at one end and monitor the entire car, so where could the murderer have hid?

Deducing this is the job of our protagonist, Hercule. A Belgium detective with an eye for irregularities and a love of symmetry, he's a fascinating character. He has an inherit belief in the good of mankind, being able to solve crimes because he sees the world how it should be and finds crime to be the irregularities he specializes in finding. His frank nature creates several instances of natural humor throughout the beginning of the film that intensifies the later seriousness. His sharp, analytical mind tears through the case as he works towards the solution and propels the plot.

The plot of the movie was highly enjoyable. Despite having a very wide cast of characters to handle, it did so very well - I'd say this single movie was able to handle of a large ensemble cast better than all three of the Hobbit movies. As for the actual whodunit aspect, the plot was able to craft an enthralling mystery that deepened as time wore on. Having never read the book nor seen the 1974 film adaptation, I was surprised at how the intimate the murder ended up being.

No movie is without its flaws. However, this movie's flaws were few. The only one that truly stood out was the fact that some of the dialogue felt very heavy-handed, but I'll admit that it may be because of the time period the original novel was written in - I personally don't remember too much of the 1930s.

Murder on the Orient Express was a delightful mystery. An interesting setting, an engaging protagonist, and a well-developed plot come together to create a captivating movie. While it had some minor dialogue issues, the skill with which the large cast was handled was particularly impressive, as was the costume design. It just came out and if you have a few bucks laying around, you should give it a watch.