A man has been murdered and everyone is a suspect.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is a disturbing movie about love and justice. For the first time, one of the greatest detective of all time, cannot find the suspect of the crime.
There was comedy and romance hidden in serious scenes, captivating story behind another captivating story and also, majestic shots in every frame.
This movie also proves the saying: “What you’re looking for is right in front of you.” Not just in the usual context. It will also keep you guessing which person is a suspect, an innocent or just a fantastic actor/actress.
Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), is a strange peculiar man, a genius detective. He also does not like imbalance which leads to him seeing the effects of a cause. He just wanted a vacation where he could sit and read his Dickens.
Poirot can solve a case with just the boot print on a painting. He is also keen on detail because he does not want anybody to be wrongly apprehended.
Poirot boarded a luxurious train owned by his dear friend, M. Bouc (Tom Bateman), with passengers of different races, gender and profession. Bouc is messy and a womanizer but he will help Poirot to solve a case to save his orient express.
When an avalanche occurred, heavy amounts of snow piled at the tracks causing the train to crash.
But that wasn’t the only unfortunate event that happened. Amid the crash, a man was murdered. Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp), a crime boss gangster, was stabbed twelve times inside his own cabin.
Ratchett asked Poirot to protect him from an enemy who is keen on killing him. Poirot disagreed saying: “I apprehend criminals, not protect them.”
Buy your tickets, board the express and watch out for these possible suspects:
Gerhard Hardman (William Defoe), the lying professor.
A constant suspicious lurker.
Edward Masterman (Derek Jacobi), the hardworking butler.
A simple pain would not stop him from working.
Elena Andrenyi (Lucy Boynton), the beautiful and quiet countess.
Although fearful of everything, she has the ability to calm the count with her simple touch.
Rudolph Andrenyi (Sergei Polunin), the pain-inflicting count.
He inflicts pain on those who disrespect his love.
Hector MacQueen (Josh Gad), Ratchett’s unfortunate assistant.
He is unfortunate to have lost a boss but is he really?
Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley), the cool and calm governess.
She’s calm and graceful but loses her chill when questioned by Poirot.
Pilar Estravedos (Penelope Cruz), the loyal Spanish missionary.
She is very loyal to her God but her conscience is already buried in the ground.
Caroline Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer), the husband-hunter widow.
Sultry but suspicious.
Biniamino Marquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), the cocky car salesman.
He promised that he wouldn’t lie. Anymore.
Hildegarde Schimdt (Olivia Colman), the devoted maid.
She has a very silent mouth but a pair of loud eyes.
Colonel Abuthnot (Leslie Odom, Jr.), the protective doctor.
He is a lover and a best friend, vowed to do anything for them.
Princess Dragomiroff (Judi Dench), the frail but tough Russian princess.
Age is just a number for this fierce royalty.
Pierre Michel (Marwan Kenzari), the Orient Express conductor.
Eyes like a hawk, nothing will get past him even the murderer.
Every frame is drenched with color that matches the mood of the scene. The moment Poirot confronts them all as he concludes the puzzle piece by piece, the Last Supper imagery was found. The imagery matches the outrage and horror of the revelation of the suspect in the next scene.
In the end, every passenger in the train, every audience in the cinema will know that justice prevails. Much like every tense minute of this mystery-crime, the nerve-wracking search for the suspect is to die for.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is a 2017 mystery drama film directed by Kenneth Branagh with a screenplay by Michael Green, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.
