MovieChat Forums > Murder on the Orient Express (2001) Discussion > Oh, come on, guys. It's not that bad!

Oh, come on, guys. It's not that bad!


Much of the criticism in the reviews and comments are based on purist sentiments about the character of Poirot as Agatha Christie created him, and resistance to any tampering with the worldview that Christie herself inhabited.

I thought Alfred Molina's worldly portrayal of Poirot was a refreshing change from the anal-retentive neurotic of Christie's imagination. The production was not that great, but a lot better than many TV features of its time.

While I love Agatha Christie, I have a huge issue with her worldview that the English born-to-rule gentry are unable to even respond to a doorbell without sending a maid to open the door.

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My problems with this version of "Murder" run along the lines of the fact that they totally ignored the most attractive part of the story. Poirot and the others investigating the murder are cut off from their normal channels, unable to verify anyone's story via independent conformation. Poirot has to depend on the little genuine evidence on hand and the inconsistencies he finds to guide him to the truth. In the modern version, Poirot has access to wifi equipped laptops! On top of that, the fact that they altered Dr. Constantine to make him a passenger in the section of the train Ratchett was killed in automatically made him a suspect. Poirot would never have included him in the investigation as he does here. Yet, there he is, assisting, because that's the way it was in the original story.

Those are the objections that come to mind off the top of my head. It's been a while since I watched this film. Things like Poirot having a love interest, or updating the occupations of the passengers really don't impact the core story in my eyes.

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I agree.

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