"You tell your lies...and you think no one will know.
But there are two people who will know.
Yes, two people.
Your god... and Hercule Poirot."
- Hercule Poirot
Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most popular Hercule Poirot stories out there, most likely due to its shocking truth reveal and wrap-up at the end of the story which also showcases a side from Poirot never before seen in the series as he has to face the complexities of what justice truly means, but the title's popularity no doubt also has to do with its ability to create a case and to tell a tale that is powerfully atmospheric. In fact, the first time I personally saw the case, during the TV series' run, I was blown away by the showcased ice-cold atmosphere created by the setting of the story. Murder on the Orient Express is created by the most sold author in our fiction history, Agatha Christie, and published in 1934 as a novel, and has ever since gotten multiple adaptations; a game adaptation, a TV series adaptation in the 12th season of the 25-year-long Hercule Poirot-series in 2010, and another TV adaptation in 2015 (Japanese), and film adaptations in 1974, 2001 and now finally, in 2017 MotOE was adapted into a 2-hour long film directed by Kenneth Branagh who also starrs as the retired private eye Hercule Poirot (note: The film makes it seem as if Hercule is an active detective on duty and does not mention anything about his retirement, so in this film the watcher can only assume he's on duty). The 2017 film is going to be the adaptation that I will be talking about here.
After solving a rather normal case which has to do with a police officer being the culprit, Hercule Poirot takes a boat to Istanbul where he meets an old friend of his named Bouc who is a man that talks fast and loves prostitutes. He tells Poirot that he's going to be traveling on the Orient Express soon so there's no time to waste! At the same time Poirot gets news which he already guesses the contents of with his ability to "be able to see the world as how it should be," as he claims in this film; he doesn't even need to read a telegram to be able to tell its contents! - though he does have to ask Bouc for a favour: get Hercule Poirot a room on the Orient Express, as because of the telegram, Poirot's vacation gets cut short and he will be riding on it as well.
From the bird's-eye view, the journey on the Orient Express train from the summery forest area to the icy fields (the story is known in every adaptation to take place covered in snow and ice which is a heavy part of the chilly atmosphere the case creates) looks majestic in this 2017 version, almost fitting for a fantasy type series - the soundtrack sounds almost like it's made for a different genre as well.
On the train there are twelve other characters aside from the victim and Poirot with his friend Bouc. I suggest reading this part here and atleast putting their existence into the backs of your head, it makes the film much easier to digest as the writers don't help you with these when you get to watch the movie:
The Professor
The Butler
The Count
The Assistant
The Governess
The Missionary
The Widow
The Salesman
The Maid
The Doctor
The Princess
The Conductor
The Trailer on IMDB shows these characters and their occupation.
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| Train is only missing the Dementors |
Over at the train's diner, Mr. Ratchett, starred by Johnny Depp, tries to persuade Poirot to do some work on the train. He calls himself a businessman on the art side. As he believes that Italians want their money back for fraudulent items, he knows that someone is out there to get him on the Orient Express. Ratchett knows he's on borrowed time and needs the help of a detective, however Poirot declines as he does not help criminals.
Later on, the train does a quick brake and everyone on it gets forced awake. The Orient Express is now at halt, unable to move due to the bad weather conditions on the icy railroad, and then, in his room Mr. Ratchett is found dead, murdered, with different types of evidence left all over the place mysteriously as well as multiple different types of stab wounds all over his body. It's hard to tell whether they are done with a left or right hand; almost as if the killer kept their eyes closed, and the time of death is hard to pinpoint due to the window being open - the freezing weather affects the rigor mortis.
While watching this movie, the presentations for the characters was really off - as it's a Christie story, there are quite a few characters alright - all equally important to know of. The movie pretty much failed in making the characters memorable and even failed in telling the watcher who they are and what they do. Before watching the movie it's actually recommended that you watch the Official Trailer first, as it has the characters' occupation written next to them. I have added the link to the trailer after the list of character types in this blog post. That part in the trailer should have been in the movie, it could have easily been presented as "how Poirot's mind sees the world," or something akin to that. It would make the movie much more comprehensible as it is a character-driven story, series and genre.
The motive for the case, the murder of Mr. Ratchett, has to do with a case that happened two years back. Ratchett's true identity is really known as 'Cassetti.'
The Armstrong case happened back then. A pilot, Colonel John Amrstrong and his wife Sonia found their daughter, Daisy, was missing; kidnapped. The Armstrongs paid a ransom, however Daisy was found dead, confirmed to be murdered. The case had no suspects but lead to the deaths of many. Sonia died along with a new baby in her belly due to the shock of what happened to her little Daisy, and John Armstrong sent a letter to Hercule Poirot explaining the case, before he himself did a suicide with a gun.
The film looks clean and beautiful as you'd expect from a modern film. Though none of the adaptations seem to contain the essence of the original novel due to being made for a more modern audience - they are darker such as in the case of the 2010 adaptation or the comedic moments seem very off as is the case in this 2017 film adaptation - I do feel that the story works very well in all of the mediums; on the big screen, TV and as novel. The high production quality of all of these very different versions is actually one of the most exceptional aspects of this story.
The soundtrack for the film is simple and forgettable but it does consist of actual music that is great to listen to such as this; Never Forget by Michelle Pfeiffer. The use of synthetisators for OSTs can sadly be heard in abundance in games, TV series and films these days, so atleast that's more positive than negative for this film.
And finally the characters. The acting did not seem too unnatural for the series; it is what it is, but neither was it natural enough, some of the actors didn't seem to fit their roles very well. The acting plays like a soap series, the dialogue is forceful and stiff and the characters just couldn't really get any standout scenes to impress during the two hours of the film's run time. However the subtlety of Poirot's true motives for doing what he does in the end is well handled in this film and it gives a little bit of depth to all of the characters - I'm talking about 'why' the gun was empty and 'what' he wanted to gain from doing that. That part is one of those things that the watchers of this film take with them to home and maybe they wake up at night to realize something new about all of the characters' relationships with each other.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) ends up being yet another okayish to decent adaptation of the original novel with some beautiful cinematography, an okay cast of characters and an okay soundtrack but the way the story itself plays out could be better handled; everything jumps around without being explained or paced well - these scenes are only confusing to the watcher and break the flow of the viewing experience - and presentation of the characters and the camera angles inside of the train seem badly placed and handled. These things are the worst aspects of this film. The camera work is not that good when it focuses on the characters, which it does do majority of the story.
*I prefer the melancholic feel and way of presentation of the 2010 adaptation much more compared to this film.
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