Date watched: May 20, 2022
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2022
Review
Note: This review contains SPOILERS. So if you wish to watch this film and don’t know who did it, read no further. Go watch the movie or read the book, then come back and continue!
Friday night family movie night and this month it was my mum’s pick with the 1970s version of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I must admit that I had a small influence in the choice following an episode of Hard Quiz where one of the contestant’s subject was Agatha Christie.
I haven’t read the novel however I have previously seen the Kenneth Branagh film version from 2017, so I knew what the outcome was going to be. That however did not stop any enjoyment in watching this film.
One of the draw factors here is the casting. There are so many big names which was one of the reasons it felt like a good pick for a family movie night. To name just a few that attracted me: Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, and Michael York. In reading some of the film trivia, it was a decision to cast each role with a familiar face to keep the audience guessing due to the number of suspects.
With such a high number of characters and somewhat unusual in a murder mystery that there is only one dead body, it’s a challenge in itself to introduce all the characters while keeping things moving. As no one is expendable we need to learn something about everyone and Murder on the Orient Express does this well. While the train is getting ready to depart we start to meet all the players one by one and instantly get an understanding of some of their characteristics. This is against the backdrop of food being delivered to the train and the hustle and bustle at the station which adds to the chaos building and feels like the story is movie along at good pace.
Another enjoyment factor was the level of humour included, which I wasn’t expecting. Laugh out loud lines too. From Poirot’s friend who runs the Orient Express and the doctor calling out after every interview that “He did it!” to the snarky comments between passengers, it’s a really good use to put the audience at ease before the gut punch revelation at the end.
Albert Finney’s portrayal of the legendary Poirot, which at first I found somewhat odd but by the time the murder occurs and he is in detective gear, really started to gel for me. Finney’s Poirot is full eccentric and his performance is outstanding. The final scene where he brings all the players together to revel the culprit is specular. Accordingly to film trivia the final monologue scene is 8 pages long, with a screen time of 27 minutes and 57 seconds. Each second is fully captivating and runs for the perfect amount of time.
I had such a greater appreciation for the reveal this time around. When I watched the newer version I recall thinking “oh don’t tell me they all did it”. In both versions I felt a bit flat with the outcome but this time less so. The emotiveness in this film really did the story justice which I think come down to the performances of the cast. Firstly the balance between the five lives that were lost causing one man to be killed gives a little more to the “justification” of the murder. Poirot himself is very vocal on this point. Secondly the scene showing each of the players committing the murder builds such an emotional intensity which at times can feel uncomfortable to watch. Especially with how long the scene goes for – watching twelve people stab one person over and over rather than one frantic attack, it’s brutal.
The final scene of the murderers all clinking glasses of champagne rubs me up the wrong way. I’m a fan of films not ending without the traditional “happy ending” yet I’m not sure why I can’t find more satisfaction here. Is it that a bunch of rich people don’t pay the consequences of their actions? Is it because none of them were bad people and don’t feel like they should all go to prison either? Maybe we don’t need to cheer along with them but just understand their grief as Poirot must in order to be ok with not bringing them to justice. Ah, all the feelings!
Murder on the Orient Express is a classic that I would happily recommend to any fan of a murder mystery. I love that I have some conflict on the ending and I am still thinking about it the next day.
