Murder on the Orient Express (2017 Kenneth Branagh)

Why on earth did Ken commission American Michael Green to re-adapt Christie's novel, which has already been superbly filmed? (Green also wrote Bladerunner 2049, so that's going to be interesting, and - no! Yes. Death on the Nile has been announced, with double Branagh again...)

Unless you're going to do something different with it, what's the point? Set it somewhere else? Murder on the Sheffield Express...

We thought it was a botched job. Despite all the stars, no one really seems to have any room to act, there's just a sea of faces (at one point, I wasn't sure who a couple of the characters even were). We actually couldn't wait for it to finish. Most of the (unnecessary) external train shots really look like CGI. Branagh's accent is as dodgy as the moustache - he's miscast himself, essentially. The whole thing lacks passion or intensity (or humour).

No - go back to Dial M for Murder to see how this is done properly. Tut.

Patrick Doyle's music underperforms, Haris Zambarloukos shot it in large format 65mm, framed for 2.35:1, edited by Mick Audsley.