Murder on the Orient Express: Review

From 20th Century Fox comes the second big screen adaption of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.  Kenneth Branagh directs and leads as Hercule Poirot: as a train ride from Istanbul to London goes horrible wrong a group of strangers must band together in suspended isolation and help uncover a murderer. 

Star Studded Steam Train speeds down the right track. Branagh's lavish reimagining of Agatha Christie's defining novel plays as a simple though exciting whodunnit. It doesn't do more than it needs to neither does it add much more than previous adaptations, but for a modern generation it's a murder mystery delight. 

There's an undeniable British whit, brought to life by a sharp script. Branagh finds the right balance  between whimsy and urgency, equally delivering an extraordinary performance as the monstrous moustache owner Hercule Poiroit. He sets a bizarre and particular standard for the iconic Belgium detective and proves he is as able directing a film as he is leading it. 

Murder on the Orient Express' dazzling cinematography resonates against an isolated, snow caped backdrop. An opening landscape shot of Jerusalem's 'wailing wall' is one of many jewels making up a crown of delicate camera work. 

Though it doesn't ask much of its co-stars, Branagh makes use of his roster of stellar actors. Well established if un-ambious, its by the book (quite literally), but for those who aren't familiar with the outcome it will most definitely surprise you. 
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An all star cast, driven by excellent direction - Murder on the Orient Express is a exuberantly enjoyable whodunnit. There's only so much one can do with the restrictions of its source material however Branagh successfully interprets Christie's luxuriously rich murder mystery for modern audiences. 

I am going to give Murder on the Orient Express:

8/10