A step up from the previous instalment of Poirot “Hallowe’en Party”, this dark, macabre tale follows Poirot through the deep frost of an Eastern European Winter aboard the Orient Express.
Amid the upper class dining and freezing stop-overs, a tension fills the airs as Mr Ratchett approaches the other passengers with dastardly deals and a manner which grates on the Belgian detective.
One restless night, cries are heard and shortly afterwards, the train hits a snow drift. When murder is declared, Poirot must fight against the cold, the absense of authorities and the reticence of the varied characters on board.
Poirot’s conclusions are more chilling than the Czech blizzards. He must face his own judgement and his Catholic faith to overcome the most blood curdling case of his career.
An excellent episode, well worthy of the prime time New Year’s Eve scheduling. Make a note in your diary or catch up on ITV Player.
“Poirot: Murder On The Orient Express” will air on 31st December 2010 at 10pm on ITV for UK audiences only.
Cast
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Dame Eileen Atkins (BAFTA Best Actress winner for Cranford) as Princess Dragomiroff
- Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Iris, Lost in Austen) as Edward Masterman
- Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, Jolene) as English Governess Mary Debenham
- Marie-Josée Croze (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) as Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson
- Serge Hazanavicius (I’ve Loved You So Long) as Xavier Bouc
- Barbara Hershey (Oscar nominated for The Portrait of a Lady, Emmy winner for A Killing in a Small Town) as American Mrs Hubbard
- Toby Jones (W, Frost/Nixon) as American businessman Samuel Ratchett
- Susanne Lothar (The Reader, Nemesis) as Hildegard Schmidt
- Joseph Mawle (The Passion, Soundproof) as Italian Antonio Foscarelli
- Denis Ménochet (Inglorious Basterds) as Pierre Michel
- David Morrissey (Thorne, Red Riding, State of Play) as English Colonel John Arbuthnott
- Elena Satine (Melrose Place, Don’t Look Up) as Countess Andrenyi
- Brian J Smith (Stargate Universe) as Hector McQueen
- Stanley Weber (Figaro, The Lady of Monsoreau) as Hungarian diplomat Count Andrenyi
- Sam Crane (Desperate Romantics) as LT. Blanchflower
- Samuel West (Enron, Desperate Romantics) as Dr Constantine
My opinion of this “ORIENT EXPRESS†is pretty low. Mind you, it possessed some virtues. The performances from Brian J. Smith, Eileen Atkins, Hugh Bonneville, Barbara Hershey and especially Denis Menochet were first-rate. There were no over-the-top costumes that left me shaking my head. And thankfully, the Hector McQueen character strongly resembled the literary version. On the other hand, the movie seemed riddled with unnecessary changes that either lacked common sense or damaged the story. Its additions of the religion topic and stoning incident simply made matters worse in regard to story and characterization. And a good deal of hammy acting abounded in the movie and made me wince with discomfort, especially from David Suchet. In short, this “MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS†turned out to be a disappointing affair for me.