ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch #MurderOnTheOrientExpress based on the 1934 novel by #AgathaChristie and this time adapted by #KennethBranagh. If you have seen the 1974 film by #SidneyLumet or have read the book, you will know the plot and the murderer, but I would recommend this version as a must-watch for the sheer spectacle that Branagh puts together. The shots of the train speeding through the Alps over its 1865-mile journey are breath-taking and brilliantly juxtaposed with the heavy-duty cast comprising Johnny Depp, Michele Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Olivia Colman, Derek Jacobi and Dame Judi Dench. Branagh himself plays the much mustachioed Hercule Poirot.
1. Shot in 65 mm, the film is a grand spectacle and the luxurious shots of the Orient Express, set against the magnificence of the Alps serves as the perfect backdrop to Poirot’s investigation of the murder of a dubious businessman, Edward Ratchet (played by Depp). Depp’s selection of roles such as this beats logic but furthers his eccentric persona. The film combines mystery and suspense but adds to it a nice does of witty humour, brilliant repartee and of course some big names. The special touch of the train getting derailed over a giant scaffolding serves to make the imagery more striking! On the flip side though, all this is CGI at its best and gives the film a bit of an inauthentic feel.
2. Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot is unapologetic for his penchant for facial hair and wears it without a hint of misgiving. He is also a perfectionist and his craving for balance is depicted in the opening sequence where having put one foot into a pile of manure, he has to perforce put the other foot in! The entire sequence shot in Jerusalem seems to have been an addition to the original tale and sets up the egg-shaped Belgian detective.
3. The film does have its soft spots – one that expectedly stands out is the lack of depth and dialogues for some of the characters and that is unfortunate. More important, the charm of Christie’s Poirot was the manner in which the little man used his little grey cells and how the clues all seemed to add up at the very end. Branagh’s Poirot, in comparison is more of a hustling and bustling detective and the manner in which he herds the passengers into the tunnel and delivers his spiel, is how he is.
4. The cinematography by Haris Zamberloukos and the orchestra score by Patrick Doyle complement the grandiose visuals but there is clearly an inordinate focus on the central character himself and screenwriter Michael Green has almost Poirot in almost every frame!
5. My lateral thought for the day is that screen adaptations of books is a complex task and, in this case, especially so since the character of Hercule Poirot has been imprinted on the minds of viewers through the decades. I have grown up with this image of a small pip-squeak of a man with phenomenal intelligence and the moment this image is shattered by a different persona, it sets off a chain of disconnect. Every person has a different image of a character and this makes it all the more complicated.
I watched #Murderontheorientexpress out of curiosity for the book and to see how the adaptation would be different. I was not too disappointed with the outcome but would have loved to see more shades of the egg-shaped man evolve. I think it’s a tribute to the fact that the really strong characters outlive the story plot always. I am going with a biased 3.5 on 5 for this film. It is now streaming on #disneyplushotstar
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