Quartile rating: 8.5/10 · 1 rating
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
The 2017 remake of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit is a visually sumptuous production with striking alpine cinematography and elaborate period detail, but it struggles to distinguish itself from prior adaptations. The ensemble cast is game but unevenly utilized across so many suspects, leaving most characters underdeveloped. The plot faithfully follows Christie's structure, which is inherently clever, but offers little surprise to those familiar with the story. As a remake of a well-known property with a famous twist, Novelty is naturally limited. The ending, though faithful to the source, feels somewhat flat in this telling — Branagh's Poirot moral anguish lands only partially. A handsome but somewhat hollow prestige production.