The 65mm cinematography is marvelous, but Sidney Lumet's 1974 version is still superior

Rating: 6/10 (11 November 2017)

The only reason, why I write a review for this rather mediocre film is the stunning 65mm cinematography.
I've seen it on a big screen, sitting in the center close to the screen and it was visually very impressive: The amount of detail you get with 65mm is astonishing and a reminder of how poor many digitally shot movies look today compared with 'the good old days'. The actors' skin looks organic, the highlights are not 'blown out' and you see a great richness in color and contrast. Because the movie demands for splendid production design and costumes, the 65mm can shine in its full glory.
Like Kenneth Branagh's update of "Sleuth" before, this is an inferior and misjudged version of well-known source material. In this case, Branagh was a victim of the Baz-Luhrmann-school: The direction forces a comical style on the material, that's too over-the-top even for Agatha Christie's rather artificial murder mysteries. No, I'm not only talking about the now infamous mustache of Poirot, which is so absurd-looking, that it distracts from the story, but everything else is slightly off, including the good cast, which does not compare to Lumet's 1974 ensemble. Lumet's film is a small masterpiece of direction and ensemble acting, where every element is in its place and the plot works. I still remember how much fun it was watching it on TV as a child. And it was so well told, that I understood the rather complicated plot then, but now - even as an adult who knew the story - I found it hard to follow. You really get the feeling, that neither the screenwriter nor the director are especially interested in the mystery aspect of the story. They focus instead on grotesque behavior, funny accents, racism in 1930s Europe and all looking 'postcard good'. And it does, but people who see this expect some excitement and elegant storytelling, too.
Sure, some people already know the ending and the movie is easy to spoil, but a huge part of the young audience didn't read the novel or saw the other versions, so there would still be the possibility of a great mystery. I don't understand, why they cared more for comic effect than suspense and surprise. The audience is smarter than that and deserves better...
Reading Agatha Christie and seeing Lumet's adaptation is like assisting Hercule Poirot in solving a crime. That's the fun of it: You usually get all the information you need to participate and it usually plays fair with the logical conclusions, even if it's far-fetched. But in this movie the mystery is told so fast, that there is no chance of participating - and therefore no suspense. This movie fails at understanding the appeal of Agatha Christie novels. It was never the mustache.
And the few inventions by the screenwriter, that are not part of Agatha Christie's novel as far as I remember, are trying to make Hercule Poirot's character 'more complex', I think, but that's not the point of Christie. Poirot is only an avatar for the audience who wants to assist in solving an exciting mystery. Poirot is not the center, therefore all additional scenes to give him a 'character journey', to introduce him in Jerusalem and give him a 'big dramatic speech' at the end are distracting additions, because it all takes away from the mystery-solving-fun. The storytelling is out of balance. I'm pretty sure, Agatha Christie would have hated this one.
Recommended mostly for the 65mm imagery and the production design and costumes, but don't forget to see Sidney Lumet's superior version, too.