Disappointed. I've liked some little things, but all in all I'm totally, completely disappointed. I guessed it would be like that, because: 1.nobody resists changing the Poirot character or the plot somehow; 2.because it’s a very difficult story to put into film because of it’s many characters and almost complete absence of action.
It’s an amazing story, but very difficult to film. Kenneth Branagh couldn’t do better than others.
To tell you the whole truth, I don’t think I would like this movie even if I didn’t know the original story and had no comparisons to make. The investigation was just bad. It would raise the tone with one character and then abruptly change to another scene when two people talk very quietly.
I liked how most actors played their characters, if you were to show specific short scenes without the rest, it would look really cool. Putting all together just didn’t work for me.
In details:
They made the Orient-express owner or whatever is a young man enjoying a life with prostitutes.
Let’s just forget about that. Was it supposed to me a realistic touch, a humorous bit? I don’t know.
The introduction to the characters is rushed and without effect.
The scene with Pfeiffer talking to Depp on the train is very plain and without reason.
Poirot has moustaches so big you barely see his face, and some grey stuff on his chin too. Why? I’ll never know.
Poirot is proud of his moustaches, so in a scene we see that he sleeps with a whatever-its-called thing to protect them. Ok, but then why in all the other night scenes he doesn’t have it?
Poirot walks ON the train looking for clues I guess, and even runs after McQueen when for some reason he runs away (to destroy some papers, yeah yeah). In what world would Poirot do that? He even fights a man with his cane, when Dr Arbuthnot points a gun at him (was that a serious threat? Because that would be murder, and they were on a trip to rightful revenge…)
Poirot keeps a picture of a woman and he watches it before going asleep as if he has some lost love he sighs thinking about. What?
Sometimes they shoot scenes from above their heads. An artistic touch? Or an annoying useless one? I know my answer. Never do that again.
Poirot breaks a door lock to enter Ratchett cabin and find him dead. I mean, seriously?
The real Poirot should indeed have the highest opinion of himself, but should also be polite, elegant and romantic. This one is smug and unpleasant. And the sighing-to-the-girl-picture comes out as forced in, unrelated, out-of-character.
Count Andreyi appears to be a thug. Countess Andreyi barely appears at all, she’s completely superflous.
Everything is grey. I understand that outside the train it’s all snow, ok, but inside? Okay, technically there’s wood-brown, coat-beige, jackets-black, shirts-white… still, everything gives a sense of grey. You think of this movie, you think grey.
Unless I missed something, they completely overlook the significance of the number of people on the train and why they did it all together. It wasn’t just so nobody could be found out as the killer, they had other plans for that. It was because they were a jury! Twelve different people (although all involved with the little girl’s murder) judging the man, finding him guilty and sentencing him to death.
Throughout the investigation, you don’t get the important bits, like that they all alibis each other.
To read some documents, for some reason Poirot and the train-owner-kid or whatever he is, absolutely need to lay themselves on the desk and put their paces on the papers. I guess it’s supposed to be for suspence, but it only looks ridiculous.
At the end, the big scene sees them all outside freezing cold. For some reason they put a long long table so they’d all sit as if it was their last-supper scene, and Poirot advances with a gun in hand!
Actors:
I don’t think Depp’s face was right for the role, but he tries and does a good job with the scenes at his disposal.
I love Olivia Colman and Judy Dench, but they had what, one relevant scene?
I love Pfeiffer since I was a little girl, but her character is rather nonsense here.
Pfeiffer is given plain scenes throughout and only a major one at the end where she does a great job. It’s the only scene of effect. It was not in the book but it’s good nonetheless. He gives her a gun, to choose if she wants to shoot him and keep their secret, but she takes it and tries to shoot herself, offering herself as escape-goat for all the others. Obviously it shoots blanks.
Poirot-Kenneth Branagh
Ratchett-Johnny Depp
Mrs Hubbard-Michelle Pfeiffer
Pilar-Penelope Cruz
Mary debenham-Daisy Ridley
Dr Arbuthnot-Leslie Odom Jr
McQueen-Josh Gad
Masterman-Derek Jacobi
Count Andrenyi-Sergei Polunin
Countess Andrenyi-Lucy Boynton
Princess Dragomiroff-Judi Dench
Hildegarde Schmidt-Olivia Colman
Mr Hardman-Willem Defoe
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