an useless remake

Rating: 6/10 (9 February 2018)

With all due respect to Mr. Branagh's ilustrious career as actor and director, one question arises in my mind: WHY? Why ruin an exceptional book, and a brilliant who-dunnit plot, only for the ambition of YOU playing the Master of little grey cells? Yes, Albert Finney played a poor Poirot in 1974, mumbling around and shouting, but the assembly cast was remarkable: starting with easy-to-hate Ratchett/Widmark, to the other exceptional actors. Of course, the 2010 version, with David Suchet ((= Hercule Poirot as would've been blessed by Dame Agatha Christie herself...) was the most accurate, from start to finish, beautifully played (even there, were some weak characters but, Poirot WAS top of the act). Now? Poirot involved in fist fighting, holding a gun (?), watching with deer-like eyes to his lost love Katherine (not Vera Rossakoff, everyone?). climbing on top of the train, Arbuthnot changed as rase and behaviour (sorry, Mr. Connery!), Penelope Cruz was not a good choice, even Johnny Depp plays a poor Cassetti, going down the hill, and easily forgotten, the Andrenyi guy a martial arts expert (really?!) and, of course, THE moustache (like a cavalry colonel in India or Burma, in late 20's). Of course, some hints of a different view on the plot arised from the trailer, a while ago but, come on, folks! Sorry, but I think I've lost 114' of my life, watching this poorly directed/played so-called "remake". Unfortunately, the world of cinema continues to go down, slowly, living out of remakes (Death Wish on the run, right?), poor acting, and vision lost. Hardly a fresh adaptation of a brilliant book: where is the thrill of any Poirot mystery? Long gone, after the 25 years Poirot/Suchet reign, sorry. The Sherlock Holmes from Guy Ritchie was not Jeremy Brett, but it was fun to watch. This one, no. I rate it 6 only from enormous respect to the work of Agatha Christie (who made this movie possible, after all) and to the efforts of Mrs. Michelle Pfeiffer, the only true actor in this 2018 version. I am SO disappointed...