A bold venture that became a stunning movie

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2017)

Being a lifelong Agatha Christie fanatic, and of course having seen the magnificent 1974 version of "Murder on the Orient Express" literally dozens of times, I was very curious to see what Mr Branagh, who had actually been bold (not to say crazy) enough to attempt a remake of it, had made out of it. I tried to go into it with an open mind, yet sure that it simply CANNOT be as good as the original. Well, I was mistaken: at some points, it's even better, unbelievable as this may sound.
Where he deems it adequate, Branagh makes some changes and additions, like the very first scene set in Jerusalem, where he also introduces himself with an enormous moustache (make no mistake: Dame Agatha had actually described Poirot many times as having a really big and extravagant moustache!), the fixed idea that his breakfast eggs should have exactly the same size, and a twinkle in his eye.
Then we get to know the first suspects - familiar territory for those who have seen the 1974 movie or read the book, but with a new twist: Colonel Arbuthnot is now a black doctor, which adds a nice note to his romance with Mary Debenham. Then the Istanbul train station - one of those moments where the new version surpasses the old one. A genuine Turkish chaos, through which Poirot, his friend Bouc and the other travellers have to make their way to the train.
We meet Mrs Hubbard - and very soon we stop comparing Michelle Pfeiffer to Lauren Bacall; she's different, but she's just as good. Ditto the other passengers; in some cases, Branagh sticks closer to the book than Lumet had done, and the casting in each case is brilliant. Then the train sets out on its journey - magnificent shots of it moving out of the station and into nowhere. As the plot unfolds, we see familiar elements mixed with breathtakingly beautiful outdoor scenes; while Lumet had decided to keep the whole thing confined to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the train compartments, Branagh enjoys making us see things from various internal and external angles. No matter which approach you prefer, they're both brilliant.
The only thing critics might claim as a minus is that Branagh's Poirot is perhaps a little bit too heroic, even to the point of personally fighting off and pursuing attackers; scenes that were never in the book, but in this day and age a movie probably simply can't do without them anymore. Anyway, as for the portrayals of the famous Belgian detective: while David Suchet simply WAS Poirot, Branagh, just like Finney and Ustinov before him, creates his OWN Poirot - a new version, but a most lovable one. And Branagh does a great job both as actor and as director - after having watched this movie I'd go as far as to say that, actually, he's a genius.
Unless you're totally biased and unwilling to accept new approaches to classic works of literature (like the many different Shakespeare productions that are being played all over the world), chances are you are going to be very much impressed by this uniquely bold and beautiful remake.