Movie Reaction: Murder on the Orient Express

Formula: Every "murder mystery" episode of a sitcom * 3 length - laugh track

I'll admit, I should read a lot more. I buy a lot of books and always make noble plans to read a new book every week or month or whatever. Inevitably, I fall behind. Most of the blame goes to how much time I spend trying to keep up with movies and TV. A good amount is laziness though. However, in some cases, this bad habit has been beneficial. I almost never read a book before I see a movie, so I never have to be that insufferable person saying things like "the book was a lot better" or "there just wasn't enough time to fit everything from the book into a single movie. It should've been a mini-series instead". Of course the book was better. It was written as a book and adapted into a movie. Adaptation is like translating a language. Something is always lost. You aren't adding anything to the conversation by bringing it up. But, that's a rant for another day. My literary shortcomings also allow me to be surprised by an 80 year old mystery like Murder on the Orient Express. I didn't know the twist at all going in, which was nice. By the way, I'm referring to the movie as MotOE from now on, because shortening it to Orient or Murder just sounds wrong.

MotOE is another Hercule Poirot mystery. If you don't already know that character, he's a Sherlock Holmes type with some Adrian Monk thrown in. After solving one impossible mystery, on his way to solve another, he finds himself on a luxury train called the Orient Express for a couple days and, wouldn't you know it, someone commits a murder while he's on the train. Hercule is then tasked with solving the case and identifying the murderer. Of course, the train is populated with colorful and distinct characters. Basically, this is a typical Agatha Christie mystery. As such, I don't pick at the story too much. 

Basically, what it comes down to is 1) are the characters entertaining? 2) is the mystery interesting? 3) is the story properly told?

Kenneth Branagh (playing Hercule Poirot) assembled an impressive cast. Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, and Olivia Colman make one of the deepest ensembles of any movie this year. No one other than Branagh is on screen for long enough to make an impression though. They all know the type of character they need to play. They take themselves just seriously enough to make the movie work without moving into melodrama or camp. Branagh is having a blast as Poirot, letting his mustache do most of the work.

The mystery could've held my interest a little better. I won't spoil it, but I can say that to get to the truth, the investigation has to go in a direction that pummeled my One Big Leap principle until all is revealed. I'm not sure you could deduce the answer on your own based on the clues in the movie. Perhaps that's something lost in the adaptation from book to movie. I can't say. Pretty quickly, I found myself waiting for the inevitable reveal rather than trying to piece it together myself. Then again, that's how I normally am about twists, so I might be projecting my own experience a bit.

Branagh (who also directed) keeps the story moving at a good pace. The production looks appropriate, if not authentic. They make good use of the train and work around the confined spaces. I love whenever a film gets good use out of a single or limited set. One other thing I'd like to note. I'm pretty sure this was just a problem with my specific theater, not the movie overall. This film was quiet. I had a hard time hearing throughout. I'm talking about if someone lightly coughed, it drowned out the whole movie. I won't hold it against the movie, since it's probably the theater's fault, but if anyone else had that problem, let me know.

MotOE is exactly what it promised. It's a good looking genre period mystery movie. I like the cast. It didn't sag in the middle. It's not quite a popcorn action movie and not quite an Oscar player. It's just some light fun, which we could all use more of.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend