• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Snack
      • Lunch
      • Appetizer
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Ingredient
      • Apple
      • Beef
      • Blueberry
      • Chicken
      • Chocolate
      • Cranberry
      • Peach
      • Pumpkin
      • Squash
      • Strawberry
      • Tomato
      • Vegetables
      • Zucchini
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Baking
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • No Bake
      • One Dish
      • Slow Cooker
    • Type
      • Breads and Rolls
      • Cakes and Muffins
      • Condiments
      • Cookies and Bars
      • Drinks
      • Food for Kids
      • Gluten-Free
      • Main Dish
      • Pies and Crisps
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Side Dishes
      • Smoothies
      • Soup
  • Crafts & DIY
    • Crafts
    • DIY
    • Kids Crafts
    • Printables
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing
  • Family Life
    • Giveaways
    • Lifestyle
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Pet Care
    • Special Needs
    • Time Management
    • Travel
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas

Murder on the Orient Express: A Classic Book Becomes a New Movie

November 20, 2017 by Elizabeth

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

ShareTweetPinPocketMail

5M4B disclosure

Agatha Christie, Queen of the Golden Age of British detective novels, needs no introduction, and one of her most famous books is Murder on the Orient Express. For those of you who haven’t read the book, I’ll sum up the plot. Hercule Poirot, Christie’s famously fastidious and clever Belgian detective, with his egg-shaped head and enormous mustaches, has just averted an international crisis in Aleppo,when he’s called to change his plans and return immediately to London to deal with another pressing case. Surprisingly, the train from Istanbul to Calais is fully booked in the middle of winter, but with an odd assortment of people–a governess, an army doctor, a missionary, a Hungarian Count, an elderly Russian princess and her German maid. Also on the train is a man named Ratchett, his valet, and his secretary. Ratchett has lived a life of shady dealings and violence, and he travels with a gun and tries to persuade Poirot to function as a guard for him, which Poirot refuses to do. The next morning, Ratchett is found dead, stabbed 12 times. Yet the conductor sat in the corridor all night, and swears no one entered the room. Additionally, while some of the stab marks are deep, others seemed to glance off the body, or to have been delivered by a weak hand. There are lots of clues, but all point in wildly different directions. The train is blocked by a snow drift, so Poirot has time to interview the passengers and solve the case.

I’ve been an avid and voracious reader since I was 6, so it will come as no surprise to learn that I typically hate movie adaptations of books. When I received my movie tie-in edition of the book and looked at the photos, my heart sank. I was pretty sure I was going to hate the movie.

Surprisingly, I didn’t. I have some complaints, which I’m going to tell you about (lucky you!), but overall I enjoyed the film. I even recommend it–it’s a fun film that will appeal to a variety of audiences, so that you might actually be able to get your family to agree on something.

Johnny Depp at Ratchett, the evil victim 

Other reviews have fixated a bit on Kenneth Branaugh’s mustaches, and I agree with the criticism. They are ridiculous. In his defense, in the books Poirot’s mustaches are always called just that, so I am willing to give them a pass. What I CAN’T pass on, however, are his changes to the character. If Poirot stepped in horse droppings in the book, he would probably feel faint and have to return to his hotel and change. In the movie, he deliberately steps with the other foot so they’ll be equal. NOOOO!! I felt like shouting. The other big problem is his sentimental sighing over a picture of a long-lost love. It’s true Poirot could be sentimental, but I don’t think he would ever sigh over a photo that he carried next to his heart for life.

The major difference between the book and the movie is that the movie definitely spices things up! Instead of the character of Mrs. Hubbard being a plain, almost laughable middle-aged woman who fusses about things, she’s a sexy widow played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who makes risqué jokes and comments like “I know what it’s like to have a man in my bedroom!” This bothered me at first, because I do get tired of Hollywood only ever managing to film beautiful people. One of the things I like about British cinema, for example, is how ordinary many of their actors look. Even my beloved Olivia Coleman (from Broadchurch and The Night Manager), here playing the German maid, is filmed with a softness and glamour that doesn’t really fit the character at all. The very plain Swedish missionary has been transformed into Penelope Cruz (lucky her!). Although I think the original Mrs. Hubbard would have actually been a lot more of a comic character, I know they want to sex things up a bit for a modern audience.

Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff and Olivia Coleman as her German maid 

They also wanted to add in a bit of diversity. The British army doctor Colonel Arbuthnot is now played by black American actor Leslie Odom.  Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays the chauffeur Biniamino Marquez, a character who originated in the novel as Antonio Foscarelli. I liked adding a bit of color to the  cast, and it definitely felt fresher.

There is also a lot more action. The book itself consists mostly of Poirot sitting in the restaurant car interviewing people, so they properly added in some movement. Whether he’s meeting the governess (played by Daisy Ridley) by serving her coffee at a little table set up in the snow, or actually chasing a fleeing suspect down some rickety scaffolding, Branaugh’s Poirot is definitely more active than the original. The thing is, a movie needs this. Books and movies are very different genres.

So, if you’re looking for a film that just might satisfy everyone this holiday weekend–from your mother-in-law who loves mysteries to your teenager who loves period films, this one just might work. Enjoy!

See what I mean about the mustaches? Also his head is not egg-shaped. But you can’t have everything! 

ShareTweetPinPocketMail
Holiday Gift Guide for Grandparents
Turning Moments into Memories with Keepsake Capsule

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes who loves being part of the team at 5 Minutes for Books. She's lived in 7 countries and is currently in Oregon, where she spends most of her time with Iraqi refugees. She has 3 teens.

Reader Interactions


Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1 Comment

  1. Katie Smith says

    November 20, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    I really want to see this movie..especially since it has my favorite actor Johnny Depp in it 😊.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Bringing Moms Together

We are Janice and Susan, twin bloggers and work-at-home moms. We're here to inspire, encourage & empower you.

Meet Us…

Work With Us…

Subscribe via Email

to be first to read new posts

Trending Now

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

How To Use A Moka Pot – Discover The Secret To Making Amazing Coffee At Home

How To Use A Moka Pot – Discover The Secret To Making Amazing Coffee At Home

Get Outside and Play with Spray Chalk

Get Outside and Play with Spray Chalk

browse around

  • Posts by Susan
  • Posts by Janice
  • Favorite Recipes
  • Favorite Crafts
  • Giveaways
  • All Posts

Footer

Recipes

St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies with a Clever Decorating Trick

St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies with a Clever Decorating Trick

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Crafts/DIY

Summer Word Search Puzzles For Kids

Summer Word Search Puzzles For Kids

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

Buddy the Elf Hat Pattern – How to Make an Elf Hat out of Felt

Buddy the Elf Hat Pattern – How to Make an Elf Hat out of Felt

Giveaways

Holiday Gift Guides and Christmas Giveaway 2024

Holiday Gift Guides and Christmas Giveaway 2024

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Women

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Women

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 5 Minutes for MomTheme by Melissa Rose Design and Once Coupled