MURDER THE ORIENT EXPRESS

US, 2017, 114 minutes, Colour.
Kenneth Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, William Dafoe, Olivia Coleman, Derek Jacobi, Manuel Garcia Rulfo, Lucy Boynton, Adam Garcia, Richard Clifford, Miranda Raison.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

There are two ways for audiences to respond to watching Murder on the Orient Express. It will depend on whether the audience has read the book or seen film versions.

For those not in the know, the film will be quite a spectacular whodunnit. For those in the know, the intriguing aspect will be watching the journey, the crime, the interviews, the solving of the case – and, instead of whodunnit, ‘howdunnit’!

In the film and television audience imagination, older audiences will see Albert Finney in the 1974 version. At the end of this film, there is mention that there has been a murder on the Nile and Poirot is off to Egypt, in Death on the Nile, Poirot was Peter Ustinov, who appeared in several further Poirot films. The actor who most embodies Poirot, with television producers aiming to film all the novels with David Suchet, is David Suchet. Which means that for many, Poirot is bald, small, fastidious, immaculately dressed, immaculately spoken – and with a small moustache.

Kenneth Branagh goes to an entirely different style, not only head hair but, what a moustache!

Kenneth Branagh has directed the film as well. He has a very fine cast with Johnny Depp rather sinister and sleazy as the victim. Depending on the amount of time they have on screen, the strength of their screen presence, other members of the cast man make strong impressions or not enough. Probably the person with the most impact is Michelle Pfeiffer as the rather brassy American. But, audiences will have to be satisfied with the rather more diminished sequences with such luminaries as Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe, although Daisy Ridley (so strong in Style Wars: The Force Awakens) certainly makes an impression.

To give a bit of flavour, there is an episode in Jerusalem in 1934, accusations of theft near the Wailing Wall, with the accused a rabbi, a priest, an email. It is all staged to give audiences an impression of the skills of Poirot – who has interrupted his fastidious breakfast, two eggs the same size, he measuring them for satisfaction… Or not.

Ferry to Istanbul and then the Orient Express, with some magnificent scenery in snowclad mountains, at train level, aerial photography, even an avalanche trapping the train on top of a wooden bridge.

And, there, a murder. Everyone has an alibi and each, in turn, has an opportunity for an interview with Poirot to explain their case.

Which gives the opportunity for the audience to enjoy the cast and their cameos.

As with most Agatha Christie stories, the detective gathers all the people concerned into a room, explains the situation and unmasks the killer. When you are in the middle of the mountains, why confine people to a room, even to the luxurious dining room of the train?. Rather, the weather having cleared, everybody sits at the opening of the train tunnel, Poirot facing them all and offering his detective disquisition on what happened.

Agatha Christie has many ingenious plots and this one has a high reputation in being ingenious.

1. An Agatha Christie mystery? Her popularity through many decades? The original novel? Its novelty? Film versions? The image of Poirot?

2. Jerusalem sequences, 1934, the Wailing Wall, police offices? The coast? The ferry to Istanbul? The train, the mountains, the scenery, aerial shots? The avalanches? The train trapped on the bridge? The musical score?

3. The Orient Express, its reputation, the vistas, the interiors? Corridors and cabins? Dining area?

4. Kenneth Branagh’s portrait of Poirot? The literary and film traditions? Comment on the moustache? His being presented as obsessive, excessively fastidious? The hotel, the boy getting the eggs, the measurement? Call to the Wailing Wall? The crime, the image, the dual? The rabbi, the priest and the imam? Detection, solution, the police chief, the chase?

5. Sailing to Byzantium? His encounter with Boec, the manager of the railway line? Travelling on the train, first class, the train booked out, finding a place, sharing?

6. Poirot and his personal idiosyncrasies, his vanity? Belgian? His memories of Katherine, the photo in the glass? The glass broken?

7. The introduction to Ratchet? His impact, Johnny Depp and his appearance, age, sinister? His relationship with Mc Queen, the accounts? Masterman and his waiting on him? American style? Discussions with Poirot, his offer, Poirot’s rejection?

8. The range of the cast and the performances

• Pilar, the missionary, dowdy appearance, talking about God and God’s will? The revelation about her past life, drinking, conversion?

• Mary, the sequences in Palestine, with Dr Arbuthnot? Her friendship with Poirot, the discussions, her reticence? As a governess? Strong presence?

• Dr Arbuthnot, in Palestine, his army background, his skills, his opinions about the death and the time? The racial background and the Professor? Poirot’s defence? Talk about American racist behaviour??

• The professor, Austrian, Nazi sympathiser, racist, abrupt in manner, does, is going to a conference?

• Judi Dench as the Princess, elderly, haughty manner, her relationship with Hildegard Schmidt?

• Hildegard Schmidt, companion, anxious?

• Masterman, valet, waiting on Ratchet?

• The Countess and her husband, the background of dance, her husband and his dislike of photographers, violent outbursts?

• Mrs Hubbard, the forward American, tough, sexy?

• The businessman, Marquez, his suave manner?

• The conductor, the theory of the alternate conductor, the cloak, possible murderer?

• Mc Queen, American, working for Ratchet, the accounts, his advice to Ratchet? Hostility towards Ratchet, stealing?


9. Ratchet’s death, the 12 wounds, the blood? The variety of clues, the watch and its time, the open door, the cloth pipe cleaner…

10. The establishing of the situation, reconstructing what happened, the variety of explanations, what everybody was doing? The individual interviews, variances, the plausibility?

11. The opening up of the Armstrong case? Poirot receiving a letter from him, being busy and not answering?

12. The gradual revelations, the interconnection of everyone? Ratchet and his real name? Criminal, gangster? The abduction of the child, the death of the child? Pilar as the nurse, Mary as the governess, the Countess as the sister of the child’s mother, Hildegard Schmidt as the cook, is the chauffeur, the Princess as the godmother, Dr Arbuthnot supporting Armstrong in the Army, Masterman as his Batman, Mc Queen and his father prosecuting the accused servant, the professor, unmasked because of his pronunciations, the policeman who loved the accused woman? Mrs Hubbard, the actress, grandmother of the doctor abducted child?

13. The reconstruction of what happened? The planning, Mrs Hubbard being the mastermind? The attention to detail, the coordination of the performance?

14. The tunnel, the group sitting in a line? Boec and his participation in the investigation, amazed, as was the audience, at what had happened?

15. Poirot, assessing the case, his own conscience, giving the alternate explanation to the authorities, his leaving the group to their individual conscience? Motivation, revenge, inability to do the crime except with each other?

16. The train, the avalanche, sitting on the bridge, clearing the tracks, the group of workers coming in, eventually ready, moving? Poirot getting off the train – and call to another case, death on the Nile?