(#20) Murder on the Orient Express (2017) - [7.5/10]

Based on the world-famous novel, a detective stumbles upon a murder mystery to solve on his train journey.

After a murder takes place on a train journey, a detective decides to investigate to find the culprit among the passengers aboard. In the process, he also learns the true identity of the victim.

How would I describe this film in one word?

Unfulfilled.

Note Enjoyable and engaging but short. I'm not really into books so unfortunately I haven't ever read the extremely popular Agatha Cristie novel. So the characters, the story, the climax was all new to me. But I can't help but feel dissatisfied with this story.

Review

There was so much potential wasted with this story, especially with this star-studded cast. It was or COULD HAVE BEEN really captivating. I'm a great enthusiast or the thriller genre and I had great expectations for this before and right from when the murder occured. But the characters were left underutilized and nourished. Bland and without depth. The protagonist was overtly cheesy and cartoonish in his abilities, behavior and appearance. On the contrary, the cinematography was wonderful and the climax I've got to say was unexpected - a truly unique take on the suspense thriller genre. A story as powerful as this was clearly underutilized and I'm sure I would've been more raged if I had read the book myself.

RATING: 7.5/10

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Director: Kenneth Branagh

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 1 hr 54 min

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe