Murder mystery novels are difficult to transition to the big screen, but “Murder on the Orient Express” does it very well. Many aspects of the movie are great. The entire cast of the movie performs marvelously, with not one part looking bad. The cast in mystery movies is very important to get right, and “Murder on the Orient Express” is able to balance a big group of characters with great dexterity. The mystery itself was good as well, and I did not expect the ending.

          The focus of murder mysteries is the cast of characters in that movie or novel, and “Murder on the Orient Express” excels in that regard. The movie stars Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, the world-famous detective. Branagh’s performance as Poirot is one of my favorites of the year, and that is because of his ability to make viewers feel like they are watching an actual detective.

          I consistently forgot I was watching a movie during his scenes; that was how real Branagh’s performance felt.

          The other members of the cast were great too, with a couple of them standing out. Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard and Daisy Ridley as Miss Mary Debenham are the two main standouts from the rest of the cast.

          The mystery in “Murder on the Orient Express” is one of the more interesting ones I have seen or read. I won’t go into too many details here because I don’t want to spoil it, but the movie has one of the best conclusions for a mystery that I have seen in a while. I really enjoyed the road to the end of the mystery as well, with the detective aspect of the mystery being fun to watch.

          It was interesting to watch Poirot question all of the passengers, as well as hear their answers. These interrogations also go a long way to helping the viewer feel like they are solving the mystery alongside Poirot, which I really enjoyed.

         “Murder on the Orient Express” is a great experience from start to finish. I loved the performance of the cast, especially Branagh as Poirot. The mystery is also interesting, going places that I didn’t expect.

          If you’re looking to see a movie this month that isn’t another superhero movie, make sure it’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Rating: 9/10