Murder on the Orient Express -UK Region
DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:
This review is for the movie, not the home release (I just saw it in the theater today on it’s day of release). I don’t usually post movie reviews since I’m no expert, but here are my initial (spoiler-free) thoughts on Murder On The Orient Express. My expectations were dampened by negative reviews. Critics are complaining about a flat ending and a wasted ensemble cast of A-list actors. I can understand why a critic or even the average movie-goer would feel that way, However, I think both of these disappointments come from wrong-headed expectations.
The ensemble was not further developed because they are not supposed to be. As in all of Christie’s novels, the limited cast of characters are all suspects in a murder investigation. The reader’s/viewer’s interest in the characters is supposed to be piqued by each suspect, and left wanting until the end. The performances here were restrained and limited, in the service of a murder mystery, not wasted.
Similarly, the complaint from critics that the end was flat betray certain expectations for a big-budget movie that are simply not to be met in a Hercule Poirot story. Every single story will always end with Poirot explaining to all the suspects who the killer was. This type of scene is easier to adapt to the stage than to film, but Branaugh succeeded in some powerful imagery and drama in this scene to make it have the full weight of a climactic ending. The gratification at the end of a Christie novel is that it all makes sense and though the reader (likely) did not figure it out, the little grey cells of a well-groomed, peculiar Belgian detective did. Without spoiling anything, Murder On the Orient Express is famous because Christie does something slightly different with the formula here. This was handled very well and had all the drama it needed. The plot-driven, dialogue-driven Poirot story plays well for British television audiences in the 80’s and 90’s, but I can see why it would seem unspectacular for $15 in 2017 America. I’m glad we didn’t have some absurdly out-of-place action scene at the end.
I loved the movie. But I’m extremely biased. I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, as well as Kenneth’s Branaugh’s acting and directing. But I’m also a huge Transformers fan, and that can’t make me like those movies—in fact, it makes me all the more disappointed with them (Well, I would be disappointed with them if I kept watching them). If you’ve read and appreciate Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot novels, this movie is definitely for you. If you enjoy a good murder mystery, you will love this one. It is beautifully shot and well-written. The characterization of Poirot here is perfect. I think the Queen of Crime would’ve been proud of this adaptation and I’m hoping for a sequel or two or three. There are about 70 stories to choose from.
P.S. I might add, the marketing might be part of the problem with a movie like this. “Cool, Sexy, Powerful,” according to somebody. But it wasn’t cool or sexy which was a breath of fresh air. Also that Imagine Dragons song on the trailer might have given people the wrong idea…thankfully there was no Imagine Dragons in the movie.
– D. Brover
DVD Wholesale Main Features:
Actors: Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer
Directors: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Michael Green
Producers: Kenneth Branagh, Mark Gordon, Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer
Format: PAL
Language: English
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 1
Classification: To be announced
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: 5 Mar. 2018
Run Time: 114 minutes
ASIN: B076CSF7PX
