Thinking Man's Workout

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2017)

I saw "Murder on the Orient Express", starring Kenneth Branagh- Dunkirk, Wild Wild West_1999; Johnny Depp-Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Dark Shadows_2012; Michelle Pfeiffer-Mother!, Dark Shadows_2012 and Daisy Ridley-Star Wars:The Force Awakens, Lifesaver. This is a remake of the 1974 movie that is based on an Agatha Christie novel she wrote in 1934. She wrote quite a few books about an observant detective named Hercule Poirot, a Belgium version of Sherlock Holmes-she also wrote about a character named Miss Marple or something like that but I did not read them. I remember reading and being a fan of her books on Hercule Poirot when I was growing up. This movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh-Cinderella_2015, Jack Ryan:Shadow Recruit, Thor-who also stars as the famous detective. Kenneth is taking a trip on the Orient Express train traveling from Istanbul to Paris with 13 other passengers-all quite recognizable actors. Johnny, Michelle and Daisy are some of the passengers, all of which have secrets that come to light when one of the 13 turns up dead. Boy, it's lucky that they have the world's greatest detective on board to help solve the case. One of the passengers was involved in a baby kidnapping that took place 5 years earlier. This movie is not an action packed shoot em up but more of a thinking man's workout for your brain, although there is a little physical fisticuffs and some gun play. Oh yeah, I must mention Kenneth's mustache; It is rather big and very well groomed-he sleeps with a mask over it to protect it. At the end of the movie, there is a set up for the next one, Death on the Nile-that is, if this one makes money. It's rated "PG-13" for violence and thematic elements and has a running time of 1 hour & 54 minutes. As I said earlier, I am a fan and enjoyed it enough to buy it on DVD.