A testimont to Branagh's directorial talents but falls a little flat.

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2020)

It has taken me ages to get round to watching this film - despite being a huge Agatha Christie fan - and I was not disappointed. That said, I was not wowed either.
The absence of David Suchet, who I was clearly not expecting to see going into this, is still hard hitting. He is Poirot! And it took well over half an hour to accept Kenneth Branagh as the acclaimed detective. However, he provided a powerful performance throughout the film as he highlighted many of Poirot's obvious quirks and a suitably sufficient Belgian accent. The moustache is unusually different but noticeably iconic non the less.
The supporting cast is full of big names and noticeable faces, from Daisy Ridley to PenÃ©lope Cruz. The biggest of these by far was the doomed salesman, Johnny Depp. Unfortunately, much like every film I see him in now, I only see a shadow of the actor he once was and far too much Jack Sparrow still peeking through in his performance. Thankfully, he isn't on screen for long and does play the sleezy salesman with sufficient success. Many of the other performances fell flat for me too, with many underdeveloped characters and dry dialogue. Josh Gad was able to break out from this however in his role, perhaps due to an extended screen time or further action based sequences.
There is not much to speak of in terms of plot without spoiling the film or reiterating the book. But, as previously mentioned, Poirot and the other characters are introduced hastily and with mild success. Their back stories are brushed over in a helpful way as their paths that led them to the Orient Express are unveiled. Whilst this is necessary for pace of the film, it makes it hard to find a connection with many of these people.
Much of the cinematography in this film is outstanding, with excellent overhead shots within the compact compartments of the train carriages. There is also a shot near the end that appeared to perfectly resemble that of The Last Supper, which is a superb nod of what is to come. For this alone, this film is worth watching.
Overall, this film was another testimont to Branagh's directorial talents and has left me yearning for further adventures of Hercule Poirot.
Overall, this film was another testimont to Branagh's directorial talents and has left me yearning for further adventures of Hercule Poirot.