Murder on the Orient Express 2017

In the midst of 1934, the illustrious detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) finds himself entangled in a puzzling case at the sacred Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The fastidious Belgian’s obsession with order and harmony is only matched by his innate ability to uncover deception, which he sees as a double-edged sword - a curse that binds him to solve the truth. As he longs for the tranquility of Istanbul, fate intervenes, summoning him back to London for another enigmatic case.

It is then that his dear friend Bouc (Tom Bateman), director of the Orient Express, offers Poirot a room on the luxurious train as it sets off on its three-day journey. However, the famous detective declines businessman Samuel Ratchett’s (Johnny Depp) offer to hire him as his bodyguard, sensing the ominous tone emanating from the mysterious man who has received threatening letters from an unknown sender.

As night falls, Poirot becomes aware of strange noises emanating from Ratchett’s compartment and catches a glimpse of a figure clad in a crimson kimono fleeing down the corridor. The train is suddenly derailed by an avalanche, leaving the passengers stranded.

The next morning, Poirot learns that Ratchett was brutally murdered during the night, his body riddled with a dozen stab wounds. As repairs begin on the train, Poirot and Bouc embark on a meticulous investigation, scrutinizing each passenger as potential suspects. Caroline Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer) claims to have seen a man in her compartment that fateful night, asserting that since her cabin was adjacent to Ratchett’s, the killer would have had to pass through hers.

Poirot’s keen mind begins to unravel the tangled threads of evidence, leading him to discover a fragmentary note linking Ratchett to the heinous kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong, a child whose abduction from her bedroom and subsequent murder sent shockwaves throughout society. Ratchett is revealed to be none other than John Cassetti, the perpetrator responsible for Daisy’s tragic fate.

The investigation takes a dramatic turn as Poirot delves into the dark past of the Armstrong family, uncovering the devastating consequences of their daughter’s untimely death: her mother Sonia (Miranda Raison) succumbed to grief, and her father Colonel Armstrong took his own life. The family’s nursemaid Susanne was arrested, only to take her own life while in police custody, later exonerated posthumously.

As Poirot navigates the complex web of suspects, he discovers that all train compartments were securely locked at night, leaving only one possibility: the individuals within those particular compartments. Moreover, a guard claims to have seen no one enter Ratchett’s cabin during the time of his demise. The investigation takes another surprising turn with the discovery of Ratchett’s coffee having been drugged, yet his valet Henry seems unaware of how the poison was administered before or after he delivered it.

Just as Poirot thought he had cornered Hector (accused of stealing from Ratchett and subsequently killing him for fear of exposure), Dr. Artbutnot reveals that Hector was, in fact, sipping drinks with him throughout the night. The case remains shrouded in mystery, leaving Poirot to ponder the intricate dance of deception and truth as the Orient Express train hurtles forward into an uncertain future.

As Poirot delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a plethora of incriminating evidence, including a blood-soaked handkerchief and the button from a conductor’s uniform found in Hubbard’s compartment. The uniform itself is later discovered, as is the kimono hidden in Poirot’s own suitcase - a discovery that sparks a flurry of revelations. Meanwhile, Hubbard, who has been stabbed in the back, miraculously survives but remains unable to identify her assailant. Amidst this chaos, Poirot begins to unravel the tangled threads connecting the passengers to the Armstrong family.

His investigation takes him to the cabin of governess Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley), where a sudden and violent interruption occurs when John Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Jr.), a medical doctor with a troubled past as a former army sniper, shoots Poirot in the shoulder. However, Bouc intervenes just in time to prevent further harm, revealing that Arbuthnot’s motives were not entirely malicious. Poirot recognizes that Arbuthnot’s actions were driven by a desire to eliminate him, rather than to take his life.

As he continues to question the passengers, Poirot becomes increasingly convinced that every individual on board has some connection to the Armstrong family or its trials. He meets with Count and Countess Andrenyi, only to discover that her passport has been tampered with, revealing that her true name is not Elena, but rather Helena - a revelation that sends shockwaves through Poirot’s investigation.

He also learns that this same Helena is in fact the sister of Sonia Armstrong, who remains haunted by the events of the past. This new information prompts Poirot to gather all 13 passengers and the train conductor outside, where he presents two theories regarding Ratchett’s demise: a simple, straightforward explanation involving a lone assassin, or a far more complex scenario in which every passenger has some motive to kill.

As the truth begins to unravel, Hubbard is revealed to be none other than Linda Arden, a former stage actress and Sonia Armstrong’s mother. This stunning revelation sets the stage for Poirot’s ultimate uncovering of the dark secrets surrounding Ratchett’s murder - secrets that are linked to the very passengers who shared his journey on the Orient Express.

With this new understanding, Poirot reveals that each passenger had some connection to the Armstrong family: Hector Willard MacQueen (Josh Gad), Ratchett’s devoted secretary, was driven by a desire for justice after learning of Cassetti’s escape from the law. MacQueen’s father, the district attorney who prosecuted the kidnapping case, knew the details of Cassetti’s flight and intended to eliminate him.

Edward Henry Masterman (Derek Jacobi), Ratchett’s valet, had served as Colonel Armstrong’s batman during the war and later his valet, acting as butler in the Armstrong household. Colonel Arbuthnot was not only a comrade-in-arms of Colonel Armstrong but also his closest friend.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hubbard is revealed to be Linda Arden (maiden name Goldenberg), the legendary tragic actress from the New York stage - and Sonia Armstrong’s mother. Countess Andrenyi (née Helena Goldenberg) (Lucy Boynton), in turn, is none other than Sonia Armstrong’s sister. As Poirot pieces together the complex web of connections between the passengers, he uncovers a tangled tale of secrets, lies, and ultimately, murder on the Orient Express.

In the midst of a tumultuous journey, Count Andryeni (Sergei Polunin), the devoted husband of Helena Andrenyi, found himself entwined in a complex web of relationships. Princess Natalia Dragomiroff (Judi Dench), Sonia Armstrong’s godmother and confidante to her mother, stood as a pillar of elegance and refinement, while Miss Mary Debenham, Daisy Armstrong’s governess and secretary, navigated the intricacies of family life with poise and precision. As the train chugged along its route, Fräulein Hildegarde Schmidt (Olivia Colman), Princess Dragomiroff’s trusted maid, brought warmth and sustenance to the Armstrong family as their cook. Antonio Foscarelli, a Chicago-based car salesman, lent his expertise behind the wheel as the Armstrong family’s chauffeur, while Miss Greta Ohlsson, a devoted Swedish missionary, tended to Daisy’s every need as her nurse.

Meanwhile, Pierre Michel (Marwan Kenzari), the train conductor and grieving father of Susanne, the Armstrongs’ late nursemaid, struggled to come to terms with his loss. Cyrus Hardman (Willem Dafoe), a private detective masquerading as Ratchett/Cassetti’s bodyguard, harbored a secret passion for Susanne, while Pilar Estravados (Penélope Cruz), Daisy’s former nurse and now a devout servant of God, had found solace in her faith. As the train rumbled on, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo brought Biniamino Marquez to life with his nuanced performance.

But beneath the surface, Hubbard confessed to orchestrating the murder, and as the suspects took turns stabbing Ratchett, Arbuthnot seized the opportunity to reveal a lone killer, cleverly avoiding harm to Hubbard’s life. Poirot, determined to uncover the truth, challenged the passengers to shoot him with his own gun, knowing that only he could expose their deceit. When Hubbard grasped the gun in a desperate attempt to take her own life, Poirot deliberately left it unloaded, curious to observe how the suspects would react.

As the train was finally put back on track, Poirot reluctantly concluded that justice was impossible in the case, as Ratchett had received the fate he deserved. For the first time, the renowned detective would have to live with a lie and an imbalance. Presenting the lone killer theory to the Yugoslavian police, Poirot allowed the suspects to depart, knowing that he had done what was necessary to maintain balance and truth. As he disembarked from the train, a messenger approached him with news of a death on the Nile, and Poirot accepted the challenge, setting his sights on uncovering the mystery behind the tragedy.