For a film with a cast like this, what’s remarkable about it is how little each of the suspects stand out. Each gets their moment with Branagh’s Poirot and as the film progresses and the connections to the backstory become evident, the denouement and final reveal take on much less importance. It is almost something of an anticlimax when the solution is revealed. As a murder mystery then, the film doesn’t really work very well and interest in the central story gradually fades. It is fortunate then that Branagh’s take on Poirot is the main point of interest and one that keeps the film afloat throughout. Branagh has a lot of fun with Poirot but also provides the character with the only meaningful development in the film as his philosophy on what is right and what is wrong is challenged. Perhaps Branagh felt that the book and mystery are well known and therefore he needed to take a different approach, but there are plenty, including myself, who did not know and can’t help feel a little shortchanged in how Branagh approaches one of Christie’s most famous plots. Enjoyable enough but flawed in its execution.
Shout by Simon MasseyVIP 11BlockedParent2017-11-17T07:51:24Z
For a film with a cast like this, what’s remarkable about it is how little each of the suspects stand out. Each gets their moment with Branagh’s Poirot and as the film progresses and the connections to the backstory become evident, the denouement and final reveal take on much less importance. It is almost something of an anticlimax when the solution is revealed. As a murder mystery then, the film doesn’t really work very well and interest in the central story gradually fades. It is fortunate then that Branagh’s take on Poirot is the main point of interest and one that keeps the film afloat throughout. Branagh has a lot of fun with Poirot but also provides the character with the only meaningful development in the film as his philosophy on what is right and what is wrong is challenged. Perhaps Branagh felt that the book and mystery are well known and therefore he needed to take a different approach, but there are plenty, including myself, who did not know and can’t help feel a little shortchanged in how Branagh approaches one of Christie’s most famous plots. Enjoyable enough but flawed in its execution.