Murder on the Orient Express

Kenneth Branagh, with his giant mustache, introduces Hercule Poirot to a new generation. And I have to say, it's a rather charming introduction. Murder on the Orient Express is essentially the same story as the classic murder mystery of the same name by Agatha Christie, although there are some slight alterations in characters as well as a few action scenes that were, well, unnecessary. If you have never read the original book, I would recommend doing so before the movie, because, as the cliché goes, the book is better than the movie. Either way, I promise I won't spoil it here even though the pleasure of the story is much more than figuring out "who done it."

At the beginning of the movie, Poirot is simultaneously solving a mystery in Jerusalem and complaining about his breakfast eggs not being perfectly shaped. When he solves the mystery in an unsatisfactory way for his employer, Poirot insists that justice demands it. Poirot sees the world in black and white, in right and wrong. His desire for perfect eggs for breakfast is not merely OCD; rather, he is essentially a Platonist. He desires good, perfection. Like Plato, he does not believe that this is a pipe-dream. Rather, he believes that the form of something is perfect but that it is also real, so he is striving to conform to the good, whether that is a breakfast egg that conforms most closely to pure eggness or whether it is justice that conforms most closely to perfect justice.

As any good reader or watcher of mysteries would expect, a murder soon occurs on the train. Poirot spends the rest of the story chasing clues and red herrings. But the story is so much more than figuring out who committed the murder. During the investigation, Poirot's own belief system is put on trial. By the end of the story, we, along with Poirot, are left questioning. Not only do we question whether justice was done in this case, but whether it is possible to actually know what justice is or even whether justice exists at all outside our subjective experience.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Murder on the Orient Express has an all-star cast and all of them are very good. However, I was not blown away by this film and I kind of felt like I should have been given the quality of the cast. There was some rather unnecessary additions of chase and fight scenes that I felt did not contribute to the story and maybe even detracted from it. Orient Express is supposed to be a very cerebral story and does not need these kind of scenes to add excitement. Still, I did have a good time watching this movie and I am glad to see that they are making a sequel, Death on the Nile. There are so many good Poirot stories out there with cinematic potential.

Caveat Spectator

The biggest concern is the scene where the body is shown. No wounds are displayed, but the murder victim's shirt is soaked through with blood. I think there was some mild language, but I can't remember. Over all, it was the kind of movie that families can watch together without too much concern.