Considering how old the tale is, this is a perfect example of the genius of Agatha Christie. But I will be very quick to add that with the casting can make or break such a gem. And this version is very well played. Poirot(Suchet) has now earned his reputation as a great actor and it allows the viewer to really enjoy the tale. So about the tale...without giving away too much, I will say that this movie is worth the watch...every bit of it. Enjoy.

I'm not going to bother with a plot summary. Most anyone who cares already knows by heart the plot to what is arguably Agatha Christie's most famous work. I also need to add that I'm a HUGE fan of the 1974 Murder on the Orient Express. I first saw it in the theater when I was 11 years-old and loved it. It remains one of my favorite films of all time. Regardless of how good this new version is, in my mind, it never had a chance of measuring up to the 1974 film. With all the disclaimers out of the way, I'll begin by saying that I have mixed feelings when it comes to this version of Murder on the Orient Express. That's part of the reason it's taken me so long to write this – I can't decide exactly how I feel about it. I've always said that David Suchet is the best Poirot ever to appear on-screen. But his portrayal here is a Poirot we've not seen before. He's hard and cold and that twinkle in his eye is gone. He's completely humorless. And while I don't care for this Poirot, it fits nicely withing this version of the story. In fact the scene at the end as Poirot walks away with tears in his eyes is gut-wrenching. You can feel his pain. He's gone against everything he believes and has let a murder go unpunished. One of the few things that has always bothered me about the 1974 film is how easily Poirot gives into the idea of an outside murderer when he knows that it's not the case. This version more than adequately deals with this.But that's one of the few things I prefer about the 2010 version. First, I don't care at all for the screenplay. Agatha Christie was always about the mystery. Characters and character development always played second fiddle to the murder. Here, the murder and mystery and secondary to just about everything else. Second, the cast in this version is good, but they can't compare with the cast from 1974. The only change I would make to the original movie is Albert Finney as Poirot. Suchet would have played the part much, much better. Third, this movie is too dark. Not just in tone, but in an actual lighting sense. I know that it was necessary to tell the story of the loss of power on the train, but it really gets annoying. Finally, I think the writers/director of this version attempt make a statement on moral equivalency that I simply do not agree with. The stoning of a woman accused of adultery by a mob is equated to the murder of a known child-killer by twelve well-reasoned individuals. I refuse to accept this and I am actually offended by the notion. In my mind, the two events are in no way morally equivalent. It's utter nonsense.There are other areas of the movie I could cite as examples of why the newer version is not as good as the older, but you get the idea. Like I said at the start, I was never going to like this one as much as the 1974 film. Given all that, I see my 4/10 as a generous rating.

It happened more than once that a death occurred while I was on a train, just in my case, it was a suicide on the tracks, not a murder. This 2010 adaptation of a Christie classic starring the brilliant David Suchet can be credited with the same good stuff we're used to by now- excellent production design, period-accurate interiors and costumes. What makes the movie interesting is the combination of a small enclosed space-train cars stuck in snow-with a group of colorful characters made of a Russian princess, an American governess, a former driver and a doctor, among others. During the night, one of the passengers is stabbed to death in spite of having had asked Poirot for protection, which he refused. Of course, Poirot starts an investigation and unfolds a surprising connection of all passengers with the murder case of a young American heiress. Being from former Yugoslavia, it is a bit flattering that Christie set the novel within the country. In many recent episodes, Poirot is portrayed with a devout, religious side to his character, which in my mind is too much in contrast with his logic-based approach to solving his cases. "Murder on the Orient Express" is a great example of that, because it obscures the line between poetic justice and morals. Eileen Atkins and Jessica Chastain deliver great performances as the wax-faced and stoic Princess Dragomiroff and Miss Davenham, the fragile teacher. The solution is the only one of that kind in the whole Poirot series, based on the disappointment into the judicial system and the individual right to exert justice when being let down by official institutions in charge of it. In the end, you're left wondering what you would have had done in Poirot's position, and this might be the only episode in the series to have such an effect on you. The gorgeous winter landscape only accentuate the cold-blooded manner of the murder, clashing breathtaking beauty with breathtaking cruelty. I'm not one to mind on-screen plot alterations as long as they're subtle and add to the effect of the movie, which was certainly the case here. Which is why I prefer to regard it as an individual work, not that common in the Christie crowd, it seems.

I have read through many of the reviews on here, it's fair to say on first viewing, which I think was Christmas time a few years ago, I didn't like it, too much of a fan of the Albert Finney fan, but on the second viewing I'll be honest I fell in love with it. I can imagine when they were in the pre-production stages they came up with the 'dark' theme, it's such a contrast to the movie. Toby Jones is brilliant in the role of villain, he plays his scenes with such venom, a great actor, totally loathsome. I think I originally found the stoning scene a little distasteful during Christmas TV, but it's there to set the tone. David Suchet is on his A game here and gives a masterclass to the rest of the cast, he is outstanding. You get a true sense of claustrophobia on the train when they are marooned, and the obvious cold they would have encountered is definitely evident. Poirot's summing up seems more as to what I would have believed in with Poirot, a sense of injustice. The closing scene had me in tears on the second viewing, it is truly brilliant.This version is also superior to the 2017 remake, and although Kenneth Branagh was excellent as Poirot, David Suchet will always be Christie's famous character.