10 More Smartest Villain Plans In Movies
3. 12 Moving Parts - Murder On The Orient Express
Originally published way back in 1934, Murder on the Orient Express is a classic, and arguably one of the most famous murder mysteries of all time. A fitting introduction to Kenneth Branagh's take on the legendary Hercule Poirot in 2017.
The retelling of the story featured a genuinely stellar ensemble cast, all of which came together to murder Johnny Depp's Edward Ratchett upon the famous train. The logistics of getting all 12 killers in the same place required a certain genius in and of itself, but the act of the murder was on another level.
The plan anchored on 12 stab wounds from 12 separate people, with each forming part of an alibi that would clear not only themselves but also others in the party. The spanner thrown in the works by the train being stopped could have derailed the entire plan but for some equally genius improvisation and misdirection to keep Poirot off the scent, like a carefully placed knife in the back to create the illusion of a single killer still on the loose.
Ultimately, the murderers on the Orient Express were brought down by mere coincidence and the back luck of being on the same train as the self-proclaimed greatest detective in the world. No one but Hercule Poirot could have pieced together this mystery and found that the guilty party was not one, but 12 killers.