Murder on the Orient Express - Directed by Kenneth Branagh Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
In some ways I am lucky in that I had never read Agatha Christie's novel nor did I see the 1974 film which featured an all-star cast that included Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Baccall, and Sean Connery among others. So I had no preconceptions or even a vague awareness of the plot.
This new production, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Branagh as Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot, is a lush masterpiece. It also has an all-star cast which includes Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
In an age when nearly everything is filmed digitally, this production was shot on 70 mm film. This widescreen format gives it a luxuriously rich texture. The cinematography is brilliant. This is especially so for the scenes that show the train chugging its way through the mountains between Istanbul, the train's point of departure, and the mountain pass in Croatia where the train is stalled by an avalanche. There's a certain romance about steam locomotives and that feeling is certainly captured here.
Although a serious murder mystery, the story is not without its humorous moments. It opens with Poirot in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall, helping the local police to solve a theft. The suspects are like an old joke - a Catholic priest, a rabbi and a Muslim imam. And a bit of Poirot's quirky character is revealed. He is an imposing man with a steely eye but also a bit comical with a large handlebar mustache. In some scenes he looked remarkably like my brother Mike. As he walks along, he accidentally steps in a pile of dung. Oh no, he exclaims. He tells the man he is walking with that it is not the mess he objects to so much as the imbalance. So he carefully places his other shoe in the horse excrement. Now both are equally soiled - balance.
It's an odd quirk, but balance is very important to Poirot. He will periodically straighten someone's tie because the imbalance upsets him.
As it turns out, Poirot is called to London to help with a case and he arranges with a friend, M. Bouc, who is a director of the Orient Express, to gain passage on the train which is unusually booked for the season.
Branagh, as film director, likes to indulge some intriguing cinematographic techniques. The opening scene at the Wailing Wall is shot from above, an odd but intriguing vantage point. The scene of Poirot boarding the train follows him as he travels along a couple of coaches to his berth. The camera tracks along the outside of the train catching and losing glimpses of the detective in succession as he moves along.
Once settled in, he is invited to join Samuel Ratchett, played by Johnny Depp. Ratchett is a bit of an unsavory character and tells Poirot he has been getting threatening notes and seeks to hire Poirot to be his bodyguard. Poirot declines, even after Ratchett subtly threatens him by revealing a gun in his possession.
During the night, Ratchett is murdered and the mystery begins. Thirteen suspects. Who did the deed? The clues mount up as Poirot interviews one suspect after another. Slowly details emerge. I don't want to reveal the ending so I say no more about the investigation.
But I will say that Agatha Christie's novel was published in 1934, two years after the Lindbergh kidnapping. The famous aviator's 20 month old son was kidnapped on March 1, 1932. A ransom note demanded $50,000. Two more notes followed in the mail and a ransom was paid. But the baby was found dead not far from the house in May.
The primary suspect, Richard Bruno Hauptmann, was arrested in September 1934. His trial was billed as the trial of the century by none less than H.L. Mencken and Hauptmann got the chair in 1936.
Christie's novel came out in January 1934 while the case was still unsolved. She used a fictional version of the kidnapping as a key element in Murder on the Orient Express. A baby girl named Daisy Armstrong had been kidnapped and murdered and someone falsely accused had committed suicide. The real killer managed to escape.
The motive for Ratchett's murder and the identity of the killer revolves around the kidnapping case which is revealed in black and white flashbacks.
The plot is a masterpiece. Intricate and detailed. Sometimes confounding with its red herrings and multiple possibilities. But the clues lead to an inevitable conclusion.
While seemingly just a murder mystery, the story's conclusion deals with a complex subject as Poirot confronts the assembled suspects and lays out his solution. Ironically, the assembled suspects are seated at a table in the mouth of a tunnel near the avalanche site, a tableau that resembles da Vinci's famous painting, The Last Supper. He gives a moving speech about justice, revenge, and vigilantism. This ending is somewhat different than the one in the novel. (My wife just got a copy for her birthday and I snuck a peak to compare endings.) Poirot's speech is not part of the novel but it adds considerably to the story.
And the story comes full circle. It starts with the revelation of Poirot's obsession with balance, which plays a role in the resolution of the story. And it ends with Poirot straightening someone's tie as he is advised of a murder on the Nile, leaving a hint that there may be another Agatha Christie adaptation in the works.
Critics have praised the film's production values but were mixed on the story itself. Some compared it to the 1974 film and thought this new version lacked the suspense of the earlier adaptation. Peter Travers at Rolling Stone thought it was a needless remake. Richard Roeper thought there was too much Poirot and not enough of the other characters. In my opinion, Branagh is superb as Poirot. An Oscar-worthy performance in my view.
As I never read the book or saw the 1974 version, I had no preconceptions and I thought the movie was fabulous. Richly filmed, stylish, clever, with a satisfying conclusion. A plot driven story and one without the crude vulgarity we see in far too many movies today. I plan to read the book and see the earlier movie just to compare.
The 1974 version netted six Academy Award nominations, winning one - Ingrid Bergman for Best Supporting Actress.
This one may well some nominations as well - Best Actor (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Pfeiffer), Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Adapted Screenplay (Michael Green), Best Cinematography (Haris Zambarloukos).
It is one of the best movies I've seen this year.
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