Rijndri
Load of rubbish!!
Orla Zuniga
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
ma-cortes
The film gets marvelous interpretations , lush costume design and adequate production design along with glimmer photography . The movie is an excellent whodunit and this version of the story takes place in 1938 , concerning about one murder on the Orient Express train with Hercules Poirot , David Suchet , as the intelligent sleuth-man to solve it . There Hercule meets various passengers and Ratchett , Toby Jones , an American executive , traveling with his valet and male secretary , and he attempts to secure Poirot's services as he fears that his life is in danger . When the murder of the abrasive American businessman occurs on the train he's travelling on , celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is then recruited to solve the case . Shortly after , the Orient Express is blocked by a blizzard in Croatia . There are many suspects , all support cast : David Morrissey , Susanne Lothar ,Barbara Hershey , Hugh Bonneville , Steven Weaver , Jessica Chastain ... As usual , the final scenes, Poirot shares his solution of the case. In the picture there is mystery , emotion , suspense , twists , actors's interpretations are wonderful and including snowy outdoors . At the beginning of the film talks about a kidnapping and killing a baby similarly to the Lindberg's son and which the murderer was condemned to death row , this one will be related with the death of the train . In fact , Agatha Christie's story , being published in 1934 , was inspired by the notorious kidnapping, and subsequent murder, of famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh's baby, Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932 . The pace is deliberate , slow and relaxed . And while the dialogue is in English, the film has a deliciously international flavor , with a mix of interesting accents and word pronunciations . The motion picture is only set on two scenarios : the station and train . However this doesn't make boring it . The support cast is pretty good , formed mostly by British and American actors , such as : Jessica Chastian , David Morrissey , Toby Jones , Stanley Wever , Samuel West , Joseph Mawle , Serge Hazanavicious , Marie-Josée Croze and special mention for Eileen Atkins as the veteran as well as bittered Princess Dragomiroff and Hugh Bonneville who portrays a trusted valet of a wealthy gentleman . The set design and costumes are riveting , the flick is magnificently set by that time . Evocative and suspenseful musical score by Christian Henson . Alan Almond's cinematography is atmospheric and colorful ; being shot at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, where the design team built a believable replica of an Orient Express carriage . This Hercule Poirot episode was efficiently directed by Philip Martin .The TV movie will appeal to suspense enthusiasts and thriller lovers.
There are several adaptation based on this known novel by Agatha Christie : Murder on the Orient Express (2001) by Carl Schenkel with Alfred Molina as Hercule Poirot , Meredith Baxter , Leslie Caron , Adam James , Dylan Smith , Tasha de Vasconcelos , Amira Casar and Peter Strauss . And the outstanding rendition was Murder on the Orient Express (1974) by Sidney Lumet Sean Connery , Anthony Perkins , Vanessa Redgrave , Jacqueline Bisset , Richard Widmark , Rachel Roberts , John Gielgud , Michael York and Ingrid Bergman's Oscar-winning performance . And finally Murder on the Orient Express (2017) starred and directed by Kenneth Branagh with Johnny Depp , Josh Gad , Derek Jacobi , Adam Garcia , Judi Dench , Penelope Cruz , Olivia Colman and Daisy Riley .
mirkobozic
It happened more than once that a death occurred while I was on a train, just in my case, it was a suicide on the tracks, not a murder. This 2010 adaptation of a Christie classic starring the brilliant David Suchet can be credited with the same good stuff we're used to by now- excellent production design, period-accurate interiors and costumes. What makes the movie interesting is the combination of a small enclosed space-train cars stuck in snow-with a group of colorful characters made of a Russian princess, an American governess, a former driver and a doctor, among others. During the night, one of the passengers is stabbed to death in spite of having had asked Poirot for protection, which he refused. Of course, Poirot starts an investigation and unfolds a surprising connection of all passengers with the murder case of a young American heiress. Being from former Yugoslavia, it is a bit flattering that Christie set the novel within the country. In many recent episodes, Poirot is portrayed with a devout, religious side to his character, which in my mind is too much in contrast with his logic-based approach to solving his cases. "Murder on the Orient Express" is a great example of that, because it obscures the line between poetic justice and morals. Eileen Atkins and Jessica Chastain deliver great performances as the wax-faced and stoic Princess Dragomiroff and Miss Davenham, the fragile teacher. The solution is the only one of that kind in the whole Poirot series, based on the disappointment into the judicial system and the individual right to exert justice when being let down by official institutions in charge of it. In the end, you're left wondering what you would have had done in Poirot's position, and this might be the only episode in the series to have such an effect on you. The gorgeous winter landscape only accentuate the cold-blooded manner of the murder, clashing breathtaking beauty with breathtaking cruelty. I'm not one to mind on-screen plot alterations as long as they're subtle and add to the effect of the movie, which was certainly the case here. Which is why I prefer to regard it as an individual work, not that common in the Christie crowd, it seems.
Paul Evans
I have read through many of the reviews on here, it's fair to say on first viewing, which I think was Christmas time a few years ago, I didn't like it, too much of a fan of the Albert Finney fan, but on the second viewing I'll be honest I fell in love with it. I can imagine when they were in the pre-production stages they came up with the 'dark' theme, it's such a contrast to the movie. Toby Jones is brilliant in the role of villain, he plays his scenes with such venom, a great actor, totally loathsome. I think I originally found the stoning scene a little distasteful during Christmas TV, but it's there to set the tone. David Suchet is on his A game here and gives a masterclass to the rest of the cast, he is outstanding. You get a true sense of claustrophobia on the train when they are marooned, and the obvious cold they would have encountered is definitely evident. Poirot's summing up seems more as to what I would have believed in with Poirot, a sense of injustice. The closing scene had me in tears on the second viewing, it is truly brilliant.This version is also superior to the 2017 remake, and although Kenneth Branagh was excellent as Poirot, David Suchet will always be Christie's famous character.
albrechtcm
I can't imagine a replacement for David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. Mr. Suchet brings us the very essence of Hercule Poirot. His appearance, his every move, every gesture, is Hercule Poirot. And he is for all that, so human. When absolutely necessary, he can let his hair down (figuratively) and enjoy some good old fish and chips with his associate and friend, Hastings (Who makes an excellent Watson every time.) I haven't seen all the actors who have portrayed Poirot over the years, but of those I have seen: Albert Finney, a powerful actor, came across as too boisterously vain and aggressive, while the wonderful Peter Ustinov was simply too "English", too self-effacing despite his capabilities and accent, and he never appeared to be fussy enough about his appearance to be the true Poirot. Mr. Suchet on the other hand is vain but modestly so. He is fussy, neat and methodical to the point of appearing almost effeminate, yet without going too far. For all his vanity and his acuity, he is always understanding, kind and thoughtful. He cannot be blamed for the scripts he is sometimes handed, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't his idea to have to mention his little grey cells at least once in every episode. I don't recall the Poirot of the novels harping on his little grey cells on every other page. I love Tony Randall, but Poirot? You must be joking. He was no more like Hercule Poirot than Margaret Rutherford was like Jane Marple.