Tag: kenneth branagh

TENET – Review

JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON stars in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action epic “TENET,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon. Copyright: ©2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hopes for jump-starting the blockbuster movie season delayed by a summer shut-down largely rest on TENET, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi spy thriller. The description of the film certainly sounds like it would do the trick – a promised a mix of INCEPTION’s intellectually intriguing concept and THE DARK KNIGHT’s technically dazzling action thrills. While we do get the technical dazzle and an intriguing concept, TENET is more a mixed bag overall, and far from one of Nolan’s best.

Christopher Nolan is an amazing filmmaker, an auteur whose best works include MEMENTO, INCEPTION and THE DARK KNIGHT. But not every Nolan has worked, and there are several that did not quite reach their potential. TENET is among this latter group, unfortunately.

Action fans, however, will be thoroughly entertained, even though those who relish the mind-twisting puzzles the director often serves up will feel more frustration. The action starts immediately, with John John David Washington’s unnamed special-ops agent coming in to thwart attempted assassination of a leader, maybe a president, during a classical music concert at a Russian opera house. The sequence wraps up by introducing us to a ticking-time bomb scenario that involves a kind of time travel called inversion, in which events run backwards among other things. The mission also introduces the Protagonist to a code phrase using the word “tenet,” and a host of characters who may or may not be allies or enemies, including a fixer named Neil (Robert Pattinson), as well as a Russian arms dealer Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) and his beautiful estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), and a wealthy contact played by Michael Caine.

There is plenty of James Bond references in this spy thriller, complete with expensive suits, yachts, speed boats, beautiful women, billionaire lifestyle, as well as the witty quips. TENET mixes this throw-back fun with the breathlessly-fast action thriller sci-fi sequences that are cutting-edge contemporary.

The film is technically excellent, with jaw-dropping action and clever plot twists. Action fans should be more that delighted with all that, which is brilliantly executed. The scenes where characters are “inverted” are particularly outstanding The film delivers enough information about what is happening – eventually – to understand what is going on, but audiences could also just lean back and go along for the movie magic ride. For the audiences who want to figure out the puzzle, the situation is less satisfying.

One of the most frustrating things about this film is there in the first scenes, where muddy sound that muffles dialog, which is delivered at a rapid-fire pace that matches the explosion of action that starts the film. Like INCEPTION, the technology that allows the characters to “invert” time is a black box but those who like the puzzle solving would like to hear more about the premise Nolan is offering. Sadly, between the ultra-fast delivery and mixed accents, plus a background sound of explosions, one can hardly make out what is being said. For many action films, what is said hardly matters but one expects it to matter in a Nolan film.

Besides the sound issue, another challenge is the casting. The central pair in this action-driven spy tale is John David Washington and Robert Pattinson While both actors have turned in nice performances in past roles, not much chemistry every develops between them, and they go from action sequence to sequence with just a few traded quips. John David Washington’s damped-down acting style was fine in BLACKKKLANSMAN but for TENET’s unnamed Protagonist something more emotionally involving is needed. A better choice would have been an actor who could give more subtext, more nuance, would have drawn us into the character more, rather than Washington’s square-jawed noble hero. John David Washington is the son of Denzel Washington, but the father would have been a better fit for the role from an acting perspective, The younger Washington is good looking and has the physique for the hero role but his acting style seems flat here. Pattinson has done some good work in many films but here he is a one-note character, a handsome, smiling cipher who provides whatever backup or miracle fix is needed by Washington’s hero character.

The acting sparks are provided by TENET’s outstanding supporting cast, who offer the most interesting characters and performances. Michael Caine’s brief appearance is memorable, and a nice nod to the Batman films. The best good-and-evil struggle is between Kenneth Branagh’s arms dealer and his estranged wife played by the gifted, under-appreciated Elizabeth Debicki, an actress who is beautiful enough to be a “Bond girl” surrogate and talented enough to steal most scenes. Scenes between Branagh and Debicki just crackle with tension and emotion, a battle of acting talents that are just thrilling to watch.

TENET is a big action film, and therefore is best seen on a big screen, the kind of movie made for that viewing experience. As action entertainment, TENET is good enticement to draw film-goers out to theaters and beats most in that genre. But for serious Christopher Nolan fans who relish the director’s intelligence and intriguing style of films, and are hoping for a repeat of INCEPTION’s magic, TENET doesn’t quite hit the mark. TENET opens Thursday, September 3, in multiple theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

Watch The New Trailer For Kenneth Branagh’s DEATH ON THE NILE Starring Gal Gadot – In Theaters October 23

The first trailer and teaser poster from Twentieth Century Studios’ daring mystery-thriller “Death on the Nile” are here! This tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy, which is directed by and stars five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh and features an all-star cast of suspects, opens in U.S. theaters October 23, 2020.

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers, and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement. 

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ DEATH ON THE NILE, a mystery-thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

“Death on the Nile” reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017’s global hit “Murder on the Orient Express,” and stars five-time Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot.

He is joined by an all-star cast of suspects, including: Tom Bateman, four-time Oscar® nominee Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. “Death on the Nile” is written by Michael Green, adapted from Christie’s novel, and is produced by Ridley Scott, Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Kenneth Branagh, Judy Hofflund and Kevin J. Walsh, with Matthew Jenkins, James Prichard and Matthew Prichard serving as executive producers.

Scene from 20th Century Studios’ DEATH ON THE NILE, a mystery-thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Gal Gadot as Linnet Ridgeway and Emma Mackey as Jacqueline De Bellefort in 20th Century Studios’ DEATH ON THE NILE, a mystery-thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Gal Gadot as Linnet Ridgeway, Emma Mackey as Jacqueline De Bellefort and Armie Hammer as Simon Doyle in 20th Century Studios’ DEATH ON THE NILE, a mystery-thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel. Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Warner Bros. Pictures Welcoming Audiences Back With TENET Early Access Screenings August 31st – September 2nd

In support of theater reopenings, Warner Bros. Pictures is offering moviegoers in select U.S. cities a preview program for the first global release of the summer: Christopher Nolan’s hugely anticipated action spy thriller “Tenet.” “Tenet” Early Access Screenings will begin on August 31st, three days ahead of its official September 3rd domestic release. The announcement was made by Jeff Goldstein, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Domestic Distribution.

“Tenet” Early Access Screenings will be scheduled on the evenings of August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd, in U.S. markets where theaters are open. Tickets for those shows will go on sale on Friday, August 21st. Go to www.tenetfilm.com for available cities and showtimes.

“Tenet,” which Nolan filmed using a mixture of IMAX® and 70mm film, will be made available in large-format and premium theaters, providing audiences with the most immersive moviegoing experience.

In making the announcement, Goldstein said, “Warner Bros. is proud to support our partners in exhibition as they reopen their doors. And there could be no better film to welcome audiences back to a true big-screen experience than ‘Tenet.’”

John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.” Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion.

The film also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, with Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Nolan wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan. Thomas Hayslip served as executive producer. Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher. The score was composed by Ludwig Göransson.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Syncopy Production, a Film by Christopher Nolan, “Tenet.” Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing “Tenet” in theaters and IMAX worldwide. The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language.

www.Tenetfilm.com

Check Out The Inverted World Of Christopher Nolan In New TENET IMAX Trailer Starring John David Washington And Robert Pattinson

John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.”

Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion.

©2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
PHOTO CREDIT: Melinda Sue Gordon

Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing “Tenet” worldwide and has slated the film for a July 17, 2020 release.

The international cast of “Tenet” also includes Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, with Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh. Nolan wrote and directed the film, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 70mm film to bring the story to the screen.

“Tenet” is produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan. Thomas Hayslip served as executive producer.

Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher. The score is composed by Ludwig Göransson.

“Tenet” was filmed on location across seven countries. Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Syncopy Production, a Film by Christopher Nolan, “Tenet.”

www.Tenetfilm.com

©2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
PHOTO CREDIT: Melinda Sue Gordon

ALL IS TRUE – Review

Left to Right: Judi Dench as Anne Hathaway Shakespeare and Kenneth Branagh as William Shakespeare. Photo by Robert Youngson. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Kenneth Branagh returns to William Shakespeare but this time it is not one of Shakespeare’s works but the Bard himself that Sir Kenneth takes on. ALL IS TRUE is an imagined tale of Shakespeare’s life after he retired from the stage and plays, and returned to his home in Stratford-upon-Avon where he lived out the last three years of his life. Of course, not all is true in ALL IS TRUE, because there is much that is not known about this part of Shakespeare’s life. A few facts are known and they serve as the starting point. ALL IS TRUE creates a tale based on what is known, spinning a plausible and entertaining tale based on what is true, much as Shakespeare did in his history plays.

ALL IS TRUE is the alternate title of Shakespeare’s “Life of Henry VIII,” the last play staged at the Globe Theater before it burned down in 1613. Following the destruction of the Globe, a discouraged William Shakespeare returns to the town of his birth and his wife Anne (Judi Dench) and daughters Judith (Kathryn Wilder)and Susanna (Lydia Wilson). They are hardly pleased to see their long-absent husband and father, and even seem puzzled by his decision to retire to Stratford now. Shakespeare himself is grieving, belatedly mourning the death of his only son, and is haunted by visions of the 11-year-old Hamnet (Sam Ellis). His wife and daughters mourned Hamnet long ago and are irritated by William’s seeming obsession with the death of the boy now. Other family resentments soon surface.

Screenwriter Ben Elton, the creator of the British sitcom “Upstart Crow” based on Shakespeare’s early career, used the facts known about Shakespeare’s retirement to create this drama. Unlike that television series, ALL IS TRUE has only a sprinkling of humor and is mostly a family drama and a portrait of a man grappling with the meaning of his life.

ALL IS TRUE weaves a story that could have been, which means it is less biopic than “inspired by a true story.” That might irritate some audiences but as Branagh has pointed out in interviews, it is much what Shakespeare himself did in his history plays. Like Shakespeare’s plays, it offers a plausible dramatic. story that fits the facts and the character. That fact makes the story somehow seem fitting, and the fact that it is filled with family conflict and ends with a reconciliation, much like a Shakespearean comedy, is all the better.

Plenty of elements about Shakespeare’s life appear in his plays, with recurring themes of daughters and families in need of reconciliation. Ben Elton uses those themes in building his tale. The story has more twists and surprises than one expects, and an unexpected look at the lives of the women in Shakespeare’s life, at a time of heavy restrictions on women. Unable to read or write, Anne is frustrated that she could not share in the literature her famous husband created. Their son Hamnet was educated but only one daughter managed to teach herself to read. Women’s only function was to be wives and mothers, and his bright, unmarried daughter Judith chafes at her lot. Her married sister Susanna is under the thumb of her husband. Judith has a literary bent but it is Susanna who can read.

Branagh both stars and directs, and is splendid in both roles. He is effectively made-up to resemble the famous portrait of Shakespeare we all know, which makes it easier to let him sink into the role. The rest of the cast is splendid, particularly Judi Dench. Shakespeare’s wife was 8 years older than he was but the age gap between Branagh and Dench is much greater. But they are so wonderfully prickly together that one easily suspends disbelief.

Not surprisingly, the film is a visual feast, from the excellent period costumes and settings, to the lovely photography. The visual beauty is strongest in the grounds around Shakespeare’s home, the wood nearby and the cemetery where Hamnet lies. Even Shakespeare’s weedy failed garden, started as a memorial to Hamnet, as a ragged beauty. The peaceful physical world makes a nice contrast to the Shakespeare family’s messier, more fraught emotional world.

In the course of the film, Branagh’s Shakespeare explores his grief over his son and contemplates his own life. He rails against the lack of respect he gets despite his wealth and fame, sulking and feeling unappreciated. He does not expect to confront the costs of leaving his family so long but he is forced to do so. Judith in particular rails against her father’s obsession over his dead son while he ignores her and the untapped intellect of his living daughter. Ultimately, he comes to see both his daughters and his wife with new eyes, seeing them as human beings instead of the era’s limited concept of women.

A couple of scenes help Branagh’s Shakespeare see his life in a new light. One is a visit by a young playwright seeks wisdom from the famous author. Shakespeare is irked by the interruption and fires off some well-practiced answers to common questions, in hopes of driving off his admiring fan. But the questioner is undeterred and confronts the famous playwright with a few questions that allow Branagh to offer a few thoughts on Shakespeare’s work, including the truth that can lie in fiction.

A pivotal scene is a visit from Shakespeare’s early patron, the earl of Southhampton, played deliciously by Ian McKellen. The scene is an opportunity for these two great actors to recite some of Shakespeare’s sonnets and the comment on speculations about the author’s sexual orientation.

When scandal touches the family, Shakespeare has to reconsider his place in it, his relationship to his daughters and wife, and his feelings about his public image. The scandal threatens the elevated social status he has achieved, including a purchased coat of arms that is required for others to address him as a gentleman. Shakespeare’s feelings about his father’s fall from respectability surface as well as a chafing under the Puritan rules of his hometown after free-wheeling life in London.

Ben Elton’s well-researched and cleverly built script offers plenty of delights for fans of the Bard, further enhanced with Branagh’s fine direction and its wonderful cast, in support of Branagh’s thoughtful, ultimately appealing portrayal of the artist as an old man. ALL IS TRUE opens Friday, May 31, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Filming Begins On Kenneth Branagh’s ARTEMIS FOWL – Photography In England, Northern Ireland And Ho Chi Minh City

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Based on the first book of Eoin Colfer’s best-selling series of the same name, and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Disney’s “Artemis Fowl” has begun principal photography and will film in England, Northern Ireland and Ho Chi Minh City. The book was adapted for the screen by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson.

Descended from a long line of criminal masterminds, 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance.

Newcomer Ferdia Shaw plays the title character, with Lara McDonnell (“Love, Rosie”) playing Captain Holly Short, a feisty, spirited elf, who is kidnapped by Artemis for a ransom of fairy gold.

In the underground fairy world of Haven City, Academy Award-winner Dame Judi Dench (“Skyfall”) plays Commander Root, the leader of the reconnaissance division of the LEPrecon, the fairy police force, and Josh Gad (“Beauty and the Beast”) plays Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniac dwarf, who attempts to help rescue Holly.

Above ground, Nonso Anozie (“Cinderella”) plays the Fowl family bodyguard, named Butler, and Tamara Smart (“The Worst Witch”) plays Butler’s niece Juliet. Miranda Raison (“Murder on the Orient Express”) plays Artemis’ mother Angeline.

Other members of the cast include Josh McGuire (“About Time”), Hong Chau (“Downsizing”), Nikesh Patel (“London Has Fallen”), Michael Abubakar (“Trust Me”), Jake Davies (“A Brilliant Young Mind”), Rachel Denning (“Doctor Who”), Matt Jessup (“Dread”), Simone Kirby (“Alice Through the Looking Glass”), Sally Messham (“Allied”) and Adrian Scarborough (“Les Misérables”).

Branagh brings back several members of his creative team, including Haris Zambarloukos, director of photography; Jim Clay, production designer; Patrick Doyle, composer; and Carol Hemming, hair and makeup designer—all of whom worked on Branagh’s 2017 directorial project, “Murder on the Orient Express.” The costume designer is Sammy Sheldon Differ (“Assassin’s Creed”), and the film will be edited by Martin Walsh (“Wonder Woman”).

The film is produced by Kenneth Branagh and Judy Hofflund, with Matthew Jenkins and Angus More Gordon serving as executive producers.

Josh Gad, Judi Dench Join Cast For Kenneth Branagh’s ARTEMIS FOWL

Disney announced today initial casting for the live-action adaptation of ARTEMIS FOWL, which will be directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Branagh and Judy Hofflund.

The search for an actor to play Artemis Fowl was extensive, with casting director Lucy Bevan seeing over 1200 candidates for the part. Branagh chose Irish newcomer Ferdia Shaw, who will make his onscreen debut in the title role.

Descended from a long line of criminal masterminds, 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance.

Josh Gad (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “Marshall,” “Beauty and the Beast”) has signed on for the role of Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniacal dwarf who works for the fairies—and himself.

Academy Award® winner Judi Dench (“Victoria & Abdul,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Skyfall”) takes on the role of Commander Root, the steely leader of the fairy police force (LEPrecon).

Lara McDonnell  (“The Delinquent Season,” “Love, Rosie,” “The Walk Invisible”) has been cast in the role of Captain Holly Short, the elf hero.

Nonso Anozie (“Cinderella,” “The Grey,” “Ender’s Game”) will play Butler, Artemis Fowl’s formidable bodyguard.

Based on the bestselling book series by Eoin Colfer and with a screenplay by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson, ARTEMIS FOWL is slated for release in U.S. theaters on August 9, 2019. Production will begin early next year in the U.K.

Christopher Nolan’s DUNKIRK Movie Back In Theaters December 1

Warner Bros. Pictures is giving moviegoers a final opportunity to see Christopher Nolan’s sweeping epic “Dunkirk” on the big screen.

On December 1, 2017, the film will be re-released in a select limited engagement in 50 IMAX® and 70mm locations in 34 domestic markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto, among others.

Following, on January 24, the film’s re-release will be expanded to include more than 250 additional locations.  Sue Kroll, President Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures stated, “With ‘Dunkirk,’ Christopher Nolan broke new ground in the use of large-format cameras to create a theatrical event that demands to be seen on the largest possible canvas.  As we head into the holiday season, we are excited to offer audiences another opportunity to be swept up in this truly immersive moviegoing experience…whether for the first time or again.”

Originally released in July, “Dunkirk,” which tells the story of one of the most monumental events in history, was immediately embraced by critics who praised it as a “masterpiece” and “tour-de-force filmmaking.”  The film was also a worldwide box office success, earning more than $524 million to date. (review)

From filmmaker Christopher Nolan (“Interstellar,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy) comes the epic action thriller “Dunkirk.”

“Dunkirk” opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces.  Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea and home almost within sight, they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.  As the story unfolds on land, sea and air, RAF Spitfires engage the enemy in the skies above the Channel, trying to protect the defenseless men below.  Meanwhile, hundreds of small boats, manned by both military and civilians, embark on a desperate rescue effort, risking their lives in a race against time to save even a fraction of their army.  When 400,000 men couldn’t get home, home came for them.

“Dunkirk” features an ensemble cast, including Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy and Barry Keoghan, with Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Tom Hardy.

Nolan directed “Dunkirk” from his own screenplay, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 65mm film to bring the story to the screen.  The film was produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan, with Jake Myers serving as executive producer.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher.  The music was composed by Hans Zimmer.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Syncopy Production, a film by Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk.”  Presented in conventional theatres and IMAX, the film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

This film has been rated PG-13 for intense war experience and some language.

Dunkirkmovie.com

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – Review

Judi Dench, left, and Olivia Colman star in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” Photo Credit: Nicola Dove; TM & © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Not for sale or duplication.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Kenneth Branagh’s new film adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie mystery, offers a certain amount of lavish period style and mystery fun but does not measure up to the 1974 version, directed by Sidney Lumet and featuring an all-star cast. Branagh’s film also has a star-packed cast and Branagh, who plays detective Hercule Poirot as well as directs, sports an astonishing two-stage mustache that might be worth the ticket price alone.

Based on the famous Agatha Christie mystery featuring her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, the 1974 film version had an all-star cast with Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam,

Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins,, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, and Michael York. Branagh’s film is also star-packed, with Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley.

The story takes place in 1935 aboard the legendary Orient Express, as the luxury train makes its way from Istanbul to Paris, carrying all manner of exotic, intriguing, international passengers, including the famous and fussy Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It is the dead of winter and traveling through mountainous Eastern Europe, the train gets stuck in the snow. As they wait for rescue, a passenger turns up dead, and the detective is on the case to solve the murder.

Part of the appeal of this mystery lies in Christie’s skill creating a cast of memorable international characters. At first, they all seem like familiar types but secrets are revealed as the story unfolds, making them all likely suspects for the murder. Johnny Depp plays the victim, wealthy American ex-gangster Mr. Ratchet, the part played by Richard Widmark in the 1974 film. Ratchet tells everyone he is an antiques dealer but the bullying, scar-faced man is clearly is something more sinister. Depp plays Ratchet with an overwhelming sense of menace and none of the charm Widmark added. Ratchet is traveling with two employees, an assistant/accountant Hector McQueen (Josh Gad) and English manservant Masterman (Derek Jacobi).

Among the passengers are a loud, talkative wealthy widow, Mrs Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer), deeply religious Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz) who was a missionary in the novel, a German who seems a fan of Nazi ideas, Professor Hardman (Willem Dafoe), an English governess Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley) and Dr. Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom, Jr.), a black man whose presence upsets the Nazi-leaning professor. There are also a few European aristocrats aboard, Princess Natalia Dragomiroff (Judi Dench), a Russian royal living in exile after the Revolution, accompanied by her maid/companion Hildegarde Schmidt (Olivia Colman), and a hot-tempered young Hungarian ballet dancer Count Andrenyi (dancer Sergei Polunin, in his acting debut) and his beautiful wife, Countess Andrenyi (Lucy Boynton). In the novel, the Count is a diplomat who is traveling with diplomatic immunity, although why the dancer and his wife have that status is unclear. Also aboard are the young manager of the Orient Express line, Bouc (Tom Bateman), who is a personal friend of Poirot, the train conductor Pierre Michel (Marwan Kenzari) and a new character added, Biniamino Marquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), who is supposed to be a red herring, as if the plot didn’t have enough of those already.

That is a lot of characters to introduce but the clever plot does that through Poirot’s interrogations and investigation, with suspicion falling on one and then another until the final moments. Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green were wise enough not to mess with the basics of Agatha Christie’s plot, but the story is updated by adding some diversity to the characters and some details that recognize the growing Nazi influence in Europe at the time the story takes place.

 

Reportedly, screenwriter Green is an Agatha Christie fan, and he was already working on the script when Branagh was brought in to direct. Whether Branagh is a Christie fan is less clear. In the film’s production notes, Branagh said he was drawn to the story because “it’s much more an emotional experience than people might imagine. This goes deeper because, it explores grief, and loss, and revenge, with sophistication and soul.” Still, Christie fans will be relieved that the main story remains intact.

Much of the film’s appeal is the spectacular visual lavishness, packed with exotic locations, evocative sets, breathtaking locations, and gorgeous costumes. Part of the film’s period allure is the idea of luxury train travel. These characters, wealthy people or their employees, are traveling first-class on the legendary Orient Express, a train famous for its luxury, in an era where that was more expected but is now only found on private jets. Business class just doesn’t measure up.

Not surprisingly, the film looks splendid, and should be in line for some art direction nominations come awards season. It lavishes on the costumes and works hard to create period atmosphere with a plethora of details. This opulent effort succeeds at first but once the train is stuck in the snow, on a trestle and approaching a tunnel, the magic of the period feel diminishes. The passengers are in a precarious place indeed, physically as well as psychologically. The location adds some visual dynamic but it really seems to distract from the mystery, serving to cover a lack of psychological tension that the director should be building.

Where the film falls short is in how director/star Branagh handles this classic mystery. Christie’s story is packed with suspense and colorful characters but Branagh puts all the focus on his role as Poirot. The the other characters, each of whom seem likely suspects in the book and earlier film, are barely sketched out in this one. In the 1974 film, each actor gets their moment to shine and create a fascinating, unique character. Branagh plays favorites, giving some actors that luxury, notably Gad and Ridley, but others much less. Dame Judi Dench gets a little chance to round out her imperious princess, but other characters remain two-dimensional shadows passing through.

Branagh also creates more of a sense of melancholy than mystery, seizing on the characters’ tragic histories more than the whodunit. The film’s pacing seems slow, and director’s attempts to open up the action from the confines of the train, moving some interrogations outside in the snow,feel more like distractions than additions. In this version, the train has been derailed, not merely snowbound, and is struck on a bridge above a deep mountain gorge and just in front of tunnel. Branagh adds scenes where the detective interrogates passengers in an open luggage car perched precariously on the bridge high above the gorge. That scene, plus adding a little action chase, seem more suited to Sherlock Holmes than Hercule Poirot.

Introducing a new audience to Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery is an admirable goal. Christie’s clever mystery remains strong enough that those not familiar with the novel or the earlier film will be entertained and surprised. But for those who know the tale, Branagh could have spent less time on his mustache and character, and more on building suspense and on leaving room for the other characters.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

Everyone Is Suspect In New Poster For MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

There is evil on this train.

20th Century Fox has released a new one sheet for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect.

Clues are everywhere. Everyone is a suspect. Eagle-eyed sleuths may notice a new clue hidden in this latest one sheet. Visit CluesAreEverywhere.com to uncover more clues and learn about the suspects aboard the Orient Express.

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS hits theaters everywhere November 10, 2017.

Kenneth Branagh stars in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”