Murder on Orient Express: 2017

After Ittefaq, another movie trying to recreate a mystery from the past, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. The difference, Ittefaq tried to re imagine the original plot, however Orient Express retains the original plot, however the flaws are similar.

The new movie is sleek, with revamped characters, minor changes in the background story for each character, a few quirks here and there, like the Dickens angle, the avalanche graphics, nevertheless the plot retains the original pulse.
Going into the theatre, I knew that plot might be same, the idea primarily was to witness a stellar ensemble cast, a performance to remember. This is where the movie disappoints, besides Hercule Poirot the remaining characters remain ill defined. The other notable performance was of Johnny Depp, however he is missing from half of the movie. The problem is more highlighted with actors that we know can deliver a dramatic performance, like Olivia Coleman. As a ‘Broadchurch’ viewer, we know the highs that Coleman can reach with her performance, how slowly she can heighten the sense of suspense and drama with her acting. The problem is in the similar vein to that of Ittefaq, pace of the movie. There are sleek shots from top are great to watch, however they steal from us the opportunity to view the players, their expressions. In the 1974 movie, a good 20-25 minutes devoted in a meeting of all characters, as Poirot expands his theory, contrarily in 2017 movie the sequence is intermittent.

The other contention with such remakes or re imaginations, that goes beyond comparisons, is the feel of the movie. The moment, that a movie gives, like in ‘Jewel Thief’, “अमर नाम का कोई आदमी नही!” are the ones that add to the feel of the movie. Sadly the movie does not have one!
Overall, the movie is a decent watch, especially disappointing comparative to the expectations set by the cast, however if you go with a blank mindset, the movie is a decent watch

One final statement, David Suchet is the ultimate Hercule Poirot!