Pretty good remake of an Agatha Christie classic

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2017)

This is an updated version of the 1970s film version of the Agatha Christie novel. Most people recognize the name Agatha Christie, famous novelist. Christie wrote mystery novels, very good at that. Her body of work consists of things like murder on the orient express, and then there were none (also made into a film), the ABC murders.... plus more. I saw the 1970s film when I was probably too young to see it, but remember it being intriguing and having a very unexpected ending. I will say that for this remake, both of those things still hold true. There are intriguing parts of this movie, and it has an unexpected ending that I really liked and I thought was cleverly done. OK so let's talk about the plot and how it was executed. The plot isn't all too original at first glance. There are a number of passengers on a train, none that having any relation to one another, among them is one of the most famous detectives in existence... and one night the train suddenly stops. They check one of the passengers rooms and discover he's been murdered, stabbed. Immediately, this detective goes to work at trying to discover just who might've had an alibi, but what he discovers really thickens the plot. I won't say what he discovers, just that it makes the film much more interesting and really makes your ears perk up. The acting was well done mostly. I loved Michelle Pfeiffer in her role, Penelope Cruz was good in hers, Johnny Depp fit his well, Judi Dench was impressive as always, and Kenneth Branagh was just perfect for the starring role as Hercule Poirot. The dialogue was good for the most part, there were a few parts where things got a bit dull, and my attention did wander a couple times. That is really the only reason the rating isn't higher than it is. All in all though, it is a pretty good film that will entertain most people who are fans of this kind of movie. 7/10 for Murder on the Orient Express.