A trip on the Orient Express is suddenly overshadowed by murder. All 13 first-class passengers are suspects as detective Hercule Poirot races against the clock to identify the murderer.

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Forty-three years after Sidney Lumet’s star-studded movie adaptation, Agatha Christie's popular novel returns to the big screen. Produced, directed and starring Kenneth Branagh as the famous detective, who is again complemented by a great swath of stars (Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench), 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express misses the boat.

Branagh dominates the feature from start to finish in a kind up one-upmanship that negatively affects the whole. From the pointless opening and the incongruous avalanche through to the hammy finale, Michael Green's script is chaotic. The dialogue – mainly that of Hercule Poirot – is often embarrassing. As a result, this bland production by the British director ends up being too theatrical and overblown to match the elegance of the original book. Unfortunately for the viewer, it seems that Poirot's return to the cinema is far from over, as announced by the teaser at the end of the movie – Poirot receives message that he is needed in Egypt. The producers’ gamble has paid off: in view of its global box office success, Death on the Nile is already in pre-production.