A classic reworking of a classic mystery

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2017)

This is clearly Kenneth Branagh's work above all: he's the star, the director, and the co-producer, and you can feel his influence from start to finish. And that's not a bad thing. If you're going to give this amount of control and influence to one artist, he's certainly among the better choices. Even if you happen to know the plot and the really quite clever key to the murder, you'll enjoy this movie thoroughly. On one level, it's just a lot of fun to see the all-star cast of supporting players mix and match with Hercule Poirot as they go along, just like it was in the 1974 film version of the story. It's a genuine classic.
Branagh himself plays Poirot with an engagingly different slant than in previous takes on the Agatha Christie character (notably David Suchet, Peter Ustinov, and Albert Finney). While just as cerebral and quick-thinking, Poirot here is rather more emotional: he reacts to crime almost as if it's a personal insult and attacks it with almost the intensity of an avenging angel. The urge to solve this murder (or any murder, as we see right at the end when a messenger tells him that he's needed to solve a new case of violent death "on the bloody Nile" (!)) even overrides his desperate desire to take a long-needed vacation. He just can't resist.
Big names or not, everyone else in the cast is excellent and I won't mention them by name because you will enjoy them all once you see it. The cinematography has a warm color palette that you can settle right into, with added long shots of mountain scenery that are beautiful in their own right. Period costuming, the setting inside the train, the ambiance of high society of the time -- everything is nicely put together.
Totally enjoyable movie-going; no deep messages about human nature of the meaning of life, but just a classic story told in a classic way told through a first-rate production.