Murder on the Orient Express is a British-American mystery thriller film. It is directed by and stars Kenneth Branagh and is written by Michael Green, based on the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The film features an ensemble cast with Tom Bateman, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley also starring. The film was released on November 10, 2017.
Synopsis[]
During a particularly snowy train ride, a passenger is murdered in the middle of the night, forcing famed detective Hercule Poirot to step up and solve the murder.
Cast[]
- Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot
- Tom Bateman as Bouc
- Penélope Cruz as Pilar Estravados
- Willem Dafoe as Cyrus Bethman Hardman
- Judi Dench as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff
- Johnny Depp as John Cassetti/Edward Ratchett
- Josh Gad as Hector MacQueen
- Derek Jacobi as Edward Henry Masterman
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Dr. Arbuthnot
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Linda Arden/Caroline Hubbard
- Daisy Ridley as Mary Debenham
- Marwan Kenzari as Pierre Michel
- Olivia Colman as Hildegarde Schmidt
- Lucy Boynton as Countess Helena Andrenyi
- Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Biniamino Marquez
- Sergei Polunin as Count Rudolph Andrenyi
- Phil Dunster as Col. John Armstrong
- Miranda Raison as Sonia Armstrong
Production[]
The film was announced in 2013,[1] with Kenneth Branagh announced as director and star two years later.[2] Initially Angelina Jolie was in talks for Caroline Hubbard,[3] as was Charlize Theron.[4] Michelle Pfeiffer was ultimately cast. Michael Peña was also supposed to star,[5] but was replaced with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.[6]
Filming commenced on November 22, 2016,[7] and concluded May 2017.[8]
Song list[]
- "Anatolian Longa"
- "Merry-Go-Round"
- "Any Old Time"
- "I Get a Kick Out of You"
- "Don't Forget"
Reception[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 301 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's consensus reads "Stylish production and an all-star ensemble keep this Murder on the Orient Express from running off the rails, even if it never quite builds up to its classic predecessor's illustrious head of steam." On Metacritic, the weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Kenneth Branagh reasoned the oversize of his mustache based on the fact that a lot of attention is drawn to it in the books. Additionally, he was forced to wear a fake one as he tried to grow a real one, but was unable to.
- On the weekends, the cast would play the game Werewolf, also known as Mafia. Penélope Cruz would often win due to her being the most innocent looking.
- The film makes a couple of changes to its characters for a unique adaptation.
- Pilar Estravados replaces the Swedish Greta Ohlsson. Estravados actually came from another Poirot story Hercule Poirot's Christmas.
- Biniamino Marquez replaces the Italian-American Antonio Foscarelli.
- Dr. Arbuthnot is actually an amalgam of Col. Arbuthnot and Dr. Constantine from the original story.
- Out of the entire cast, Josh Gad was the only one to actually ride the real Orient Express.
References[]
- ↑ Fox Remaking ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Kenneth Branagh to Direct, Star in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ Remake
- ↑ Angelina Jolie in Talks to Star in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’
- ↑ Angelina Jolie No Longer Boarding ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Michael Pena, Judi Dench Board ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (Exclusive)
- ↑ Manuel Garcia-Rulfo Boards ‘Murder On The Orient Express’; Vivica A. Fox Joins ‘The Mafia Aint Dead’
- ↑ Murder on the Orient Express starts filming
- ↑ Kenneth Branagh on Finding the Perfect Mustache for ‘Murder on the Orient Express’
