Murder on the Orient Express

I went to see this yesterday, mostly because I can't pass up an Agatha Christie.  I am a student of the detective fiction genre.  I'm writing one now, and I'm reading Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone, in which all the tropes of the detective genre are created.  Wilkie doesn't get enough credit; he's a genius.  The narrative technique, the characters, the method, it's all there.  There would have been no Sherlock Holmes without Wilkie Collins, writing much earlier.

Anyway, back to the movie.  It's good, worth a watch, but it is not an accurate portrayal of Hercule Poirot, by a long shot.  Poirot is fussy and very fat; he lives in his head and his body enjoys the food; he doesn't chase criminals down bridge scaffolding.  So don't go looking for faithfulness.

It was still fun, though, and moving.  I think they changed the ending--(spoiler, but most know the plot)--instead of them all happening to be there, they are recruited and are the only passengers on the train, which should have been suspicious in the first place.