It’s difficult to know how to review Murder on the Orient Express. Should it be judged against the 1970s film? Should it be held against the Agatha Christie novel it adapts? In the end, I decided to judge it on its on merits as a standalone film. To that standard, the picture is well-acted with a great ensemble. Kenneth Branagh does well as the lead, but in the direction and especially the screenplay the film is choppy and almost unbearably expository in its climax. It looks absolutely fantastic, but I doubt Murder is going to inspire a Christie renaissance or have a tremendous impact on the box office. It’s not awful, but it’s not anywhere near what it should be, and that won’t be enough to attract an audience not already in love with the source material.
I think the second trailer for Kenneth Branagh’s remake of Murder on the Orient Express is a lot more promising than the first trailer was. He certainly has a tremendously talented ensemble cast (it’s weird to see Daisy Ridley and not think of her as Rey since this is her first non-Star Wars movie). The first trailer sparked some lively debate on the site, and one of the things that came out of it was the feeling that-at least in the US-Agatha Christie has fallen out of cultural mainstream. I doubt many people under 30 have read her or may even know who she is. I’m hoping the movie will be good, but it would be tremendous if it sparked new interest in Christie’s huge body of work. She’s one of the seminal authors of mystery and crime fiction in modern history, and she should be mandatory reading in schools as much as Hemingway or Faulkner. Orient Express or 12 Little Indians should certainly be hit in college lit classes at the very least. We’ll see how Branagh has done when Murder on the Orient Express pulls into theaters on November 10, 2017.
Based on the Jack Ryan character created by the late Tom Clancy, the film is a contemporary action thriller set in the present day. The original story, written by David Koepp, follows a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. Pine is such a fantastic actor, I think he could really embody this character as no one before has and play him for years to come. The first domestic trailer looked like significant parts of Jack’s origin from the books are going to be changed. I wonder if they’re going to go all original stories with the character or, after an origin, they’d start remaking or adapting Clancy’s novels. Jack Ryan will open on Christmas Day.
Based on the Jack Ryan character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy,who passed away this week, the film is a contemporary action thriller set in the present day. The original story, written by David Koepp, follows a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. Pine is such a fantastic actor, I think he could really embody this character as no one before has and play him for years to come. Jack Ryan will open on Christmas Day.
The timing sucks….or maybe it doesn’t depending on whether you’re in marketing or humanity. The first poster for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (originally titled just Jack Ryan) was released hours after Ryan’s creator, author Tom Clancy, passed away.
Pine will be the fourth actor to portray Ryan after Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. Kenneth Brannagh (Thor) will be helming a reboot for the character that also stars is scheduled for release on Christmas Day.