Murder On The Orient Express Review: 6 Ups & 6 Downs

1. It's Slickly Directed

And finally, say what you want about the script and that dodgy CGI, but Branagh does an absolutely stellar job directing the movie on a beat-to-beat basis.

He's a pro, of course, and effortlessly keeps the interior of the train visually compelling for the most part, making clever use of tracking shots, especially when Poirot first boards the Orient Express and travels down the length of his carriage in one single, unbroken take.

There are a few similar shots like this throughout the film, and though it's a shame he didn't have more compelling material to work with, at least the film is full of sharp visuals, which go hand-in-hand with the story's more regal, classically old-fashioned tone. It's still not quite enough to make this new adaptation live up to earlier versions, but at least it's frequently pleasing to the eye.

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