Murder on the Orient Express
Let's see:
On the plus side
- The story was well told.
- I liked the way they caught the general atmosphere of the Christie universe, with a few modern tweeks.
- The cast delivered, though Depp was perhaps a bit too much for the Christie universe. No shame he was bumped off quite quickly. I particularly liked Dafoe and Ridley.
On the down side
- The chase scene (with Tubby McGoo of all people) was not necessary. Poirot relies on his wits, as shown with the bit with the cane. It's a detective, not a cop show.
- I personally did not think too much of the "emo Poirot". The strength of the character were the cool, the mistery and the inscrutable. Starting from there, the (former) girlfriend ex machina and what not felt a bit forced.
- The ending felt a bit rushed/forced/stupid. Sequel bait?
So all in all a good way to spend two hours, but I think there are better Poirot-films. Branagh did a good job, but David Suchet remains the Poirot par excellence.