Film Review – Murder on the Orient Express

“Murder on the Orient Express” is perhaps the most famous of Agatha Christie’s literary achievements. Adaptations of the 1934 book are numerous, with a 1974 Sidney Lumet film often held as the gold standard for big screen Christie translations, while other efforts, including a 2001 television movie and a 2010 episode of “Agatha Christie’s Poirot,” have had their way with the mystery writer’s twists and turns. Now something grander has arrived from director Kenneth Branagh, who busts out the CGI polish and star-studded casting to give his take on “Murder on the Orient Express” its own modern lift, gifting a new generation with an aged tale of death and deception on a stalled train. Branagh makes a pretty picture and invites some real talent to join in on the game of suspicion, but all is not well when it comes to cinematic sleuthing, as the production tends to gloss over the fine details of certain characters, which leaves the feature feeling empty and anticlimactic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com