Agatha Christie certainly doesn't need to be ashamed

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 2017)

Yours truly is a massive admirer of Mrs. Agatha Christie! If her hand-written grocery lists ever become published, I will surely read them and watch the film adaptations! Many people in my surrounding asked me if I was ecstatic when the news got spread about the upcoming and hi-budgeted new version of "Murder on the Orient Express". Well, yes and no. Contrary to general belief, there certainly isn't a shortage of Agatha Christie adaptations. The "Queen of Crime" died more than 40 years ago, but just recently I purchased the newly released mini-series "And then there were none" and "Witness for the Prosecution", which are both produced by the BBC and star an impressive list of famous players. Indeed, there hasn't been a cinematic adaptation in quite a while, but personally I didn't see the need for one. Fans of Christie's work can easily enough find the aforementioned mini-series, or a variety of other TV-series, on DVD, but are her writings still appealing enough to be shown on the big screen? After all, Christie delivered old-fashioned whodunits and convoluted detective stories that invite the audience to guess along for clues and red herrings, but my impression is that people generally don't care for these anymore. Whodunit stories have evolved into CSI showcasing and modern detectives turned into superheroes who are able to solve a crime before it properly happened, like for example in the new "Sherlock" series with Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course I'm happy there is a new Christie adaptation, but honestly I was even more concerned that it would flop at the box office. Kenneth Brannagh even took an additional - but comprehensible - risk by choosing "Murder on the Orient Express" as his project. Partially thanks to the fantastic 1974 film version directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Albert Finny, this has arguably become Christie's most well-known tale and literally everyone who saw the film or read the book will have remembered the denouement.
But once again it turns out that I was overly worried! Kenneth Brannagh's "Murder on the Orient Express" is by no means a masterpiece, but certainly an entertaining and very competently made mystery/thriller. I'm grateful that it remained a traditional adaptation that treats the source material with great respect. In other words, Hercule Poirot luckily didn't rejuvenate into a martial-arts action hero, while the cinematography and decors are kept stylish and sober rather than turning the whole thing into a hyperkinetic and winnable trendy "The Matrix" clone. And the story? Well, the story is still powerful enough to remain surprising and absorbing. Just as the 1974 version, this film can rely on an impressive all-star cast including names like Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench and Dereck Jacobi. Some of these big names have really few screen time, but they will lure people to the theater nevertheless. Kenneth Brannagh himself depicts an admirable and likable Hercule Poirot, although perhaps the size of the iconic mustache is slightly exaggerated.