Murder on the Orient Express

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2017)

It was Mrs.Peacock in the conservatory with a dagger!
Everyone loves a good murder mystery, this film allows the audience to watch the mystery unravel before their eyes as if they were playing the classic board game of Clue. Murder on the Orient Express was written in 1934 by Agatha Christie, is one of the most well known mystery novels of all time. Kenneth Branagh brings this clue-like murder mystery novel to life. Branagh stars as Hercule Poirot, the worlds greatest detective looking to take a much needed vacation after solving a theft in Jerusalem. During his travels, Hercule runs into his old friend Bouc, who happens to be the director of The Orient Express, he is offered a room on the train after receiving a case from London.
Once aboard the Orient Express, Hercule is met with thirteen unlikely strangers together just for the sake of traveling. One of the first characters we meet is Mr.Ratchett (Johny Depp) a business man who had made many enemies in his line of work. He had begun receiving life threatening letters and asked Hercule if he could be his body guard. Hercule declined and that same night the train was thrown off the tracks due to an avalanche and Mr.Ratchett was murdered. It was clear to Hercule that the murderer was still aboard the train and he must find his killer before they kill again.
The Orient Express is the setting for the remainder of the film, this luxurious and gorgeous train transports you back to the 1930s. The film was shot using 65mm lens which allowed for brighter colors, texture, and emphasized the significance of lighting. The use of lighting in this film had to take you back to the 1930s and that's just what it did. The 1930s primarily focused on the use of high-key lighting, this is often unflattering and can be difficult to work with. However, Branagh uses this lighting to his advantage and brings out the beauty of every character. The music in this film was transcendent and brought you back to the 1930s with music by Patrick Doyle. His classical style of music was a perfect fit for the movie and time period it represented.
The breath taking long shots bring you aboard the Orient Express with the rest of the cast. The entrance onto the Orient Express is a two and a half minute continuous shot that is very well choreographed. This shot introduces the characters that will be riding along with Hercule, this single shot brings you through the entire train and gives you the feeling that you are actually aboard. This single shot was by fair the most impressive shot taken during this film, to have all the characters in the perfect spots and to move at the appropriate times in order to get just two minutes of film must have taken days. This shot used elaborate blocking elements such as other characters, windows, and props to signify the camera movements, in this shot the characters become apart of the mise-en-scene. The significance of using the continuous shot gives the scene a seamless view and really allows the audience to focus on the beauty of the set and emphasizes the mise-en-scene. The cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos also uses the reflection made by windows to create the divided personality of good vs evil within the characters
This film has beautiful scenery, amazing shots, music that transports you, and breath taking lighting. However, your enjoyment will be dependent on your familiarity with the story, this remake feels as if its main focus was to showcase the stars of this film. Having read the book and seeing the original film, the typical final lineup scene of the suspects felt over dramatized and used to emphasize the talents of each actor. But if you are unfamiliar with the killer and are still engulfed by the mystery, then the resolution will blow you away. The final resolution brings forth character development for Hercule and ends the film on a positive note. With this being said, the experience of viewing this film allows for the audience to escape their own reality and take a trip back in time, which is the sole purpose of film.