Murder on the Orient Express has a star-studded cast, with leading man Kenneth Branagh set to mesmerize audiences worldwide. 

The 2017 mystery film is based on Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name and features an incredible ensemble comprised of Tom Bateman, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley. 

The film is uniquely different from the 1974 adaptation as Michael Green wrote a brand new screenplay specifically for this release.

Audiences will be delighted with the suspenseful tale that follows Hercule Poirot as he looks for clues to solve a crime aboard the luxurious Orient Express train.

The Movie plot

As Hercule Poirot traveled on board the famous Orient Express from Istanbul, Turkey to Europe, he immediately noticed an abundance of secrets and lies among his fellow passengers. 

Before departing, Poirot had been approached by a wealthy older gentleman by the name of Ratchett, requesting the detective’s assistance with his enemies. Feeling suspicious of Ratchett’s character, Poirot refused. 

Fortunately while aboard the train, he encountered a dear old friend – M. Bouc – who worked for the same company running this journey.

On the second night onboard, while dining in the restaurant car, Poirot overheard an English colonel and young English governess speaking in a way that revealed they knew each other very well – despite their claims otherwise. 

Further suspicion rose for Hercule Poirot as he continued on his mysterious and enthralling voyage down the tracks of The Orient Express.

Armed with these clues, Poirot sets off to investigate the crime, tackling the task in his uniquely logical and methodical way. 

He interviews the passengers and examines their luggage, and closely questions M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine for any information they might possess. 

Most striking of all is the scrap of a letter that Poirot finds in Ratchett’s compartment which references Daisy Armstrong – soon Poirot realizes that he has stumbled onto a case much bigger than just a train ride. 

It appears that Ratchett was involved in a notorious abduction case from this same girl years ago – could it be that tragedy has finally caught up with Ratchett? Only Poirot can uncover the truth in this thrilling journey of investigation.

Initially, the trial was led toward a nursemaid as the possible culprit in this abduction. However, as Poirot continued his investigation and unraveled the mystery of the past, it became clear that a man by the name of Cassetti was actually responsible. 

Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing in a court of law, Cassetti had earned himself an infamous reputation among society’s elite. As it became difficult to remain anonymous due to his wealth, he resorted to using an alias – Ratchett – while traveling abroad. 

Unfortunately for Cassetti, justice still found its way around by means of his own suicide caused by an act of vengeance.

Hercule Poirot, the astute Belgian detective, begins to piece this perplexing puzzle together, realizing that several passengers were actually linked to the Armstrongs and were in attendance 24 years earlier at Daisy’s birthday party – her aunt and a family governess included. 

He finally revealed his theory of the case, which was that all of the train passengers had conspired together to kill Ratchett as part of a revenge plot. 

Poirot’s first explanation failed to match up with the facts of the case; however, his second theory, while complex, was a much more plausible solution.

The murderer had been on board since the beginning – each passenger had stabbed Ratchett one time collectively in order to avenge Daisy’s death. 

It seemed an unlikely tale yet Poirot espoused that justice would be served for Daisy if his theory proved true.

Despite knowing that Ratchett’s killers acted with purpose and ought to go unpunished, M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine are reluctant to reveal the truth. 

To keep the passengers in good standing, they agree to craft a false narrative and explain Ratchett’s death as an act of revenge directed at one of the suspects for a tragedy that occurred years prior.

In doing so, M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine recognize that exonerating the innocent parties may be more important than allowing justice to take its course. 

Although his explanation is clearly true, these two noble characters choose instead to save face and put an end to the investigation for the sake of emotion over logic.