I have seen the the Murder on the Orient Express, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I must admit that I know Agatha Christie's famous story as I have see the 1974 film with Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, and the 2010 TV episode with David Suchet as the detective.
The story is easy to understand, Poirot is taking the Orient Express from Istanbul, and one of the passengers, Mr Samuel Ratchett asks Poirot for protection by a threat, but Poirot refuses, and the next day, Ratchett is founded murdered, leaving Poirot to find out who the murderer is, and there's a train full of suspects to choose from. Poirot then discovers that Ratchett was really a man called Cassetti, who kidnapped and murdered a young girl called Daisy Armstrong a few years before, an event that lead to many more deaths, and (in this film) Poirot reveals that he was asked by Daisy's father to investigate before killing himself before Poirot could reply, and during the investigation, Poirot discovers that many of the passengers have had a connection to the Armstrong case.
Some bits of the story were changed, such as conversation between characters and who they speak to. Kenneth Branagh's appearance is very different from the previous actors. While Finney's and Suchet's Poirot had a small moustaches, Branagh's was a very wide, which is a way helped ensure that we didn't a Branagh-looking Poirot, just Poirot. In the film, Poirot is more active and quick than his literacy and previous film counterparts, such as chasing a suspect out of the train. At the start, the film begins with one funny part of Poirot where he prefers having two eggs the exact same size, and complains of that the hens can't lay such eggs. Another reference to another Poirot story was the mention of Pilar Estravados, who was in Hercule Poirot's Christmas, who didn't appear in this story. At the end, there's a tongue-and-cheek reference another Poirot story, Death on the Nile.
I was quite impressed with Branagh's version of Poirot, and I must admit to myself that every version of one thing is always different, from both the original source and each other.
I have heard that there might be a sequel coming up with Branagh returning. I hope so, and I'll look forward to it.
I hope that you've seen it and enjoyed it.
I hope that you will come, see and enjoy at Eden Court Theatre.
