An enjoyable murder mystery with a famous twist

Rating: 8/10 (20 September 2018)

Following a prologue, where Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, exposes a thief in Jerusalem, our protagonist heads to Istanbul where he boards the Orient Express, bound for London. After dinner he is approached by a man who claims to be an antiques dealer who feels in danger after selling dodgy goods to the wrong people. Poirot declines the request for help. The following night the train is derailed by an avalanche; when the compartments are checked the man is found dead... with multiple stab wounds. Poirot is soon investigating; the problem isn't a shortage of clues but an excess... each pointing to a different suspect. Before the case is solved he will uncover truths about the dead man and how various people on board are connected to him.
I was surprised to see just how unpopular this film appears to be as I really enjoyed it; perhaps that was because it was quite a while since I'd seen any other Poirot mystery so could accept Kenneth Branagh, and his ridiculous moustache, in the role. Despite knowing who did it before watching the story was fun to watch. The case provides plenty of clues to keep our protagonist, and the viewer, guessing. Even if you know how it ends seeing how that conclusion is reached is entertaining. The all-star cast does a fine job bringing their somewhat over-the-top characters to life. The opening scenes are somewhat superfluous for anybody familiar with Poirot but serves as a nice demonstration of how quick thinking he is for viewers new to the character. Overall I'd say this was an enjoyable film but acknowledge that may be a minority opinion.