«Le Crime de l'Orient-Express»: Let's stick to the first reading

Cinema Wednesdays - Nicolas Jutzet

Film seen in VO

Kenneth Branagh, who takes on the double role of director and title character, playing the famous Belgian detective with a certain talent, can pride himself on having assembled a team of quality actors. Well-known and renowned. Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley.

«There's good, and then there's evil. In between? Nothing.» (Hercule Poirot)

A successful survey

With the exception of the opening scene and the finale, everything takes place in a vacuum. Mainly in the rickety atmosphere of the Orient-Express, or in the middle of nowhere while waiting for the line to be repaired, following the train's derailment due to excessive snowfall. The director succeeds in perfectly reproducing the compartmentalization felt in the written word under Agatha Christie's precise pen. The to-and-fro between the cabins and the characteristic wobbly movement of the convoy. We escape this at times, thanks to wide shots of the landscape, the Alps and the wildlife, which keep the viewer breathing.

In the hushed atmosphere of this train, anxiety quickly sets in. The trap is closing. It's suffocating. Nerves are frayed. When tragedy strikes, a Poirot-style investigation follows, a classic for those familiar with the Belgian moustachioed detective.

«When you lie, you lie to two people. To your god, and to Hercule Poirot.»

Weaknesses in the details

In the original English version, the Belgian accent and the hero's French passages are tiresome. The cliché is overplayed and irritating. The various character traits of the many actors, accentuated according to their social, geographical or even ethnic origin, quickly fall into the «too much» category. Details certainly hit the nail on the head in the written word, stimulating the reader's imagination, but here they're over-emphasized, with no real added value. It traps certain characters in a caricatured role that they struggle to forget. On the other hand, we appreciate the quality of the decor, especially the rolling stock. The luxury, without being ostentatious, perfectly conveys the material state of the early 20th century.^th century.

A gateway to the world of Agatha Christie?

However, the impression does not fade, it is confirmed. As is often the case, the book, the original, is more interesting than the visual reproduction. Detail and lengthy questioning are the main qualities of the British author's novels. Here, the magic of the story escapes somewhat, despite the director's diligence. The brutality and speed of the progression is distressing for anyone familiar with the original style. Yet for others, it remains appreciable and poignant. This film has at least two audiences. Let's hope that the neophyte takes a liking to it and, in a burst of curiosity, begins to devour the rest of the work, which is rich and always confusing. We wish every viewer the very best.

«There was good, there was evil. Now there's you. I cannot judge.»

Write to the author: nicolas.jutzet@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation