Murder on the Orient Express

Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.

Branagh's adaptation lands in definitively mixed territory, with most critics agreeing the film is gorgeous to look at and boasts an enviable cast, while disagreeing sharply on whether those assets are enough. The central fault line runs between those who found it a pleasurable, faithful crowd-pleaser and those who felt the visual showmanship actively smothered the mystery's tension — and that Branagh's reimagining of Poirot as a man of obsessive compulsions flattens rather than deepens the character. Several negative reviews converge on the same complaint: the all-star ensemble is systematically wasted, each reduced to a single distinguishing quirk while the camera stays locked on Branagh himself.