Movie · 2017 · Mystery, Drama, Crime · 1h 54m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (861.4K ratings)
Everyone is a suspect.
Overview
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.3/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.13/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Kenneth Branagh
Production
The Mark Gordon Company, Genre Films, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions
Cast
Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Daisy Ridley, Penélope Cruz, Olivia Colman, Lucy Boynton, Marwan Kenzari, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Sergei Polunin, Paapa Essiedu, Yassine Zeroual, Asan N'Jie, Michael Rouse
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, star-studded whodunit with handsome period design and a strong central performance, but the mystery is more pleasant than gripping and the emotional beats can feel overmanaged. It works best as polished comfort viewing rather than a truly suspenseful detective story.
Best for
Agatha Christie fans
viewers who like elegant period mysteries
audiences in the mood for a light ensemble puzzle
fans of lavish production design and old-school studio style
Skip if
you want a tightly paced, twisty mystery
you prefer gritty or psychologically sharp crime stories
you’re impatient with broad performances and ornate style
you want the suspense to outweigh the spectacle
Overview
This adaptation is all about polish: snowbound train cars, rich costumes, and a cast assembled like a luxury package. Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot is the movie’s anchor, played with enough vanity and precision to give the film a clear point of view even when the mystery itself feels familiar. The setup is classic Christie, and the movie understands the appeal of watching a room full of suspects slowly reveal themselves.
Worth noting
What keeps it from fully taking off is that the emotional temperature stays oddly controlled. The film is more interested in elegant composition and star entrances than in sustained tension, so the investigation can feel procedural rather than irresistible. Some viewers will enjoy that stately pace; others will find it too airless for a murder story.
Bottom line
As a piece of mainstream mystery entertainment, it’s competent and often attractive, with a few memorable flourishes and a strong sense of period spectacle. But it lands closer to a glossy homage than a definitive adaptation, which makes it easy to admire without quite loving it.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Harrison Mitchell (3★) · 6768 likes
I wanna see the Wes Anderson version of this.
tilzo (2.5★) · 4320 likes
the lady behind me gasped and whispered "michelle pfeiffer" when michelle pfeiffer took off her wig and that really is my review of this movie
Whitney · 2241 likes
There is a long standing last supper shot in which Michelle Pfeiffer is clearly Jesus Christ so yes, this is a four star film.
kirsty🌙✨ (3★) · 2190 likes
*we’re all in this together from high school musical plays softly in the background*
liam f (3★) · 2070 likes
can Willem Dafoe please do us all a favour and stop giving everyone the cinematic equivalent of blue balls by taking roles where he only shows up for two seconds