A Classic Story Derailed

Rating: 2/10 (11 November 2017)

Fans of Agatha Christie be warned: I've loved her books since I was a kid, ravenously snatching them from the library shelves often, and I couldn't wait to see this director and cast have a shot at making Christmas 2017 joyous by reigniting the Orient Express and again plunging it into the gorgeous remote scenery of its locale, filled with interesting characters and a mysterious middle-of-the-night murder. The train itself and the scenery are about all there is to see in this remake, and the film is easily one of the biggest disappointments of the season (and year). There are times in this film where I could swear the cast is reading their lines off teleprompters--it's that lifeless. Filmmaking 101 says when you make a film version of a book you want to open up the imagination of viewers with visuals that illustrate the words rather than just having characters read the words rote and lifelessly on-screen in static exposition. Kenneth Branagh, as both director and star, lets us down completely, and all of these fine actors are completely wasted, as is Christie's glorious and vivid story. Read the book or see the 1974 film version with Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and Vanessa Redgrave.