Tonight's Movie: Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

My third theatrical film of the long holiday weekend, following COCO (2017) and THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017), was Kenneth Branagh's new version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017).

Reviews of the film, as well as reactions from friends, have been all over the map. I previously enjoyed a pair of films Branagh directed, JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014) and CINDERELLA (2015), feeling he did a lot with the material in each case, so I decided to give MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS a try.

Branagh directed, co-produced, and stars as Agatha Christie's legendary detective, Hercule Poirot. (I should perhaps add at this juncture that I have yet to see the 1974 version with Albert Finney as Poirot, nor have I seen any other Poirot films or TV productions.)

I quite enjoyed MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, which for me ranks with WIND RIVER (2017) and BABY DRIVER (2017) as one of the most visually appealing live-action films of the year. Admittedly, Branagh and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos put their camera in a couple odd places now and again, such as the discovery of the murder victim filmed as an overhead shot, but for the most part the film is beautiful to look at, and at times it's downright majestic.

In the interest of keeping the mystery spoiler free for those who haven't seen the earlier film or read Agatha Christie, I'll keep my plot description bare bones. Poirot is a last-minute passenger on the Orient Express thanks to the intervention of a friend (Tom Bateman) at the railway. During the course of the trip one of the passengers turns up dead, and it's up to Poirot to figure out whodunit.

The passengers are played by an all-star cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Willem Dafoe, and Josh Gad.

With such a large cast, it's perhaps not surprising that some characters have more of a chance to register than others. For instance, Dench has relatively little to do, simply adding some gravitas with her presence. Pfeiffer, on the other hand, has one of the largest roles and does an excellent job with it; that's also her singing the haunting song over the end credits.

Branagh is fun as Poirot although I think such a huge, unattractive mustache is an unnecessary distraction. In an interview he said he felt the mustache disarms the people Poirot deals with as they see it and don't take him seriously, "then suddenly he's got you by the throat." His obsessive-compulsive tendencies are an interesting touch as well.

Other than the splendid visuals which take the film to a higher level, this ORIENT EXPRESS isn't a classic, but it is a well-crafted, solid film which provides an enjoyable 114 minutes at the movies. I'm quite glad I decided to check it out, especially as I love "train movies." This was a good one.

As hinted at the end of the movie, a sequel with Branagh as Poirot in DEATH ON THE NILE is in development. A previous version of DEATH ON THE NILE was released in 1978. (2022 Update: Here's a review of Branagh's version of DEATH ON THE NILE.)

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13 for violence and "thematic elements." There's some blood on the corpse, and another story aspect may trouble young children, but I felt this was a pretty tame PG-13; I think PG would have been more appropriate. Whether this somewhat slow-moving yet elegant film, with its accented lead character, would appeal to children is another question.

A trailer is here. It's the best of the trailers I've seen for the film; if you enjoy the trailer you'll probably like the movie as well.

Finally, as part of my occasional commentary on moviegoing in 2017, our local Cinemark theater, where I saw two of this weekend's trio of movies, has switched to "luxury loungers" in every theater. While I'm still not a fan of the concept, at this theater the loungers at least allow me to choose to sit with my back against the seat and my feet on the floor, unlike the seats at a theater we visited last January.

On a more important note, I saw all three films this weekend using my new MoviePass. For a $9.95 per month subscription, MoviePass currently allows card holders to see one 2D theatrical film per day. (I say "currently" because I don't understand how the company can sustain that pricing over the long term!) MoviePass drew such big business after news coverage a few months ago that some people are apparently still having trouble receiving their cards promptly, but I figured a month-at-a-time subscription was a low-risk investment. I got my card right away, and it's been easy to use; it certainly paid off for me this weekend.

For those not yet familiar with MoviePass, you "check in" on a smartphone app when you're within 100 yards of the theater, easily selecting both the theater and then the movie showtime. After the App says "Success! Go Buy Your Ticket," you buy your ticket as usual, using a MoviePass Master Card.

Here's more info on MoviePass from Variety and Wired.