Murder on the Orient Express ★★

Kenneth Branagh’s stab at a big-screen update of Agatha Christie’s seminal detective novel, 1934’s Murder on the Orient Express, is being sold on the strength of its impressive cast. Branagh steps into the shoes of famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, while the suspects are played by international cinema’s best and brightest, young and old. From Judi Dench to Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp to Derek Jacobi, Michelle Pfeiffer to Penélope Cruz, and on to Willem Dafoe and Josh Gad, the actors alone are worth the price of admission—even if most of them are woefully outmatched by the superstars who appeared in Sidney Lumet’s exceptional adaptation from 1974. If you’re unfamiliar, Albert Finney’s Poirot investigated scores of the silver screen’s royalty, including Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud, Martin Balsam, Anthony Perkins and Vanessa Redgrave. Nevertheless, Branagh and his frequent collaborator, cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, have exquisitely captured a handsome production, shot on 70mm film (though you’ll be hard-pressed to view it in this format outside of New York and LA), that’s almost as pretty as it is dramatically empty. Most of the cast are wasted once the train leaves the station, while the screenplay by Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049) leaves much to be desired as it listlessly teletypes whodunit, while rushing through the motive of why. Save a few bucks and watch Lumet’s superior version instead. (At Assembly Row, Boston Common, Fenway and in the suburbs.) ◆