Murder On The Orient Express

I ended up loving this film. It didn't start out that way. I never read the book and nor did I see the original film, so perhaps that played a part in my generous review. I didn't have anything to compare it to, but I am aware that in general nothing ever truly pales in comparison with an original film or book, so you have to check that mindset at the door if you're going to watch a remake. I did try to watch the original, but never got through it. I will try again now that I've seen this one. This was an interesting film, because for me it started off rather bland. I'd say the first half of this film is three stars, but then as it gets closer to the middle and all the way until the end it improves and starts to grow exciting. It gradually builds like a runaway train all the way to the end, so the second half really redeemed itself for me making this an enjoyable film. The stars were being added as the movie progressed. The five stars is also for the ambiance and beautiful scenery to the point that it makes me want to sip champagne and ride a train through the countryside. The criticisms I have about this are over the first half. There is way too much of Kenneth Branagh and it isn't even that interesting. He directed this and unsurprisingly gave himself the biggest part. That was a mistake. I assumed that part would've been given to Johnny Depp, who was hardly in this, yet his name is on the marquee. Branagh should've switched roles with Depp. The second negative was he casts these incredible greats like Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, and Penelope Cruz, yet under utilizes them. That's the biggest crime of this film. Branagh should've cut some of the other parts down from the supporting roles, including his, and upped the scenes with those four great movie star actors. What a tragedy that he would cast those four and still have the majority of scenes devoted to him. However, the stand out performance for me ended up being Michelle Pfeiffer, who of course is always great in whatever she's in, but her performance in this also gradually builds dramatically as the film progresses to an incredible star turning surprising scene. Those who've seen this know which section I'm talking about. She managed to take a small part and hit it out of the ballpark. Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, and Penelope Cruz are also always great, but sadly underused in this and didn't have any scene stealing scenes the way Pfeiffer did. Regardless, in the end I ended up loving this film overall, because it grew surprisingly interesting once it got over the sleepy first half. Then it just accelerated as fast as it could go until the end. The DVD has some wonderful extras including a 20 minute documentary surrounding Agatha Christie. This is an adult drama mystery, with little suspense. If it's a lazy rainy Sunday with nothing to do, then sitting through this film absorbing its atmosphere is not a bad way to spend the time.

Good movie. It was entertaining enough in the theatre that we bought the DVD to watch at home.

I am glad that this movie did not disappoint. The actors' delivery seemed on point and vested in their roles. I found the plot intriguing; I had not read the book or seen previous productions, so I was going in blindly. Branagh's role of Poirot is endearing as he portrays a greatly insightful, blunt, and methodical inspector who deeply cares about justice and equality (right down to the equal size of his morning boiled eggs). He also and has an affinity for the simple things in life such as baked breads and reading Dickens. I greatly enjoyed this character. The rest of this ensemble cast play on point as well and each brought a different quality of entertainment to the table. With a cast this strong, sometimes the plot suffers. Not in this case. Here, there was a symbiotic relationship between actor, character and story. No one character tried to steal the show, rather each character contributed their part to help create a wholeness of the story. The story is one of revenge, redemption and self-awareness. There is a struggle with the human spirit. There is a dark and gritty message that there is no triumph or glory in killing. The movie is visually attractive and the setting somewhat romantic despite the murder and dark mood. I watched this with my daughters, 14 and 16, and they both really enjoyed it as well. We were all silent as the credits rolled and then my 14 year old calmly stated, "I think this is my favorite movie of all time. That was so good." So, I guess Interstellar was just knocked down a notch.

The movie itself is a 5 star movie with an all-star cast! I really love this movie and it's my favorite Agatha Christie book with its many plot twists. The acting and scenery were awesome in this adaptation. The reason I'm deducting a star is because the movie case was damaged on arrival. It had pieces of plastic flaking off because it was poorly packaged.

THIS IS A GOOD ONE!

Los materiales de la caja y el disco cumplen las expectativas, sin embargo compre la peli por buenas reseñas que habia leido, pero el desarrollo de los eventos se me hicieron regular.

Não é da zona brasileira de reprodução

Fast shipping, well packaged. Item as described. Would definitely buy from this seller again !!!

It was OK, but whether I'll view it again, or leave in my library is up for debate.

Great movie hope they are making more new poirot movie, we love it.