Kenneth Branagh is a man who loves a spectacle. When he decided to reboot the Agatha Christie universe, he didn't just want a nice train and some fake snow. He wanted a roster that felt like an Oscars after-party. Looking back, the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast is actually kind of insane. You have Jedi, pirates, catwalk legends, and literal dames all trapped in a luxury sleeper car. It's the kind of ensemble that shouldn't work because there are too many "big" personalities, yet somehow, the chemistry manages to sizzle before the first drop of blood even hits the sheets.
Honest talk? Re-watching it now feels different. Some of these actors were at the peak of their powers, while others were just starting to pivot into the massive stars they are today. Branagh took a huge gamble. He put himself at the center with a mustache that had its own zip code and surrounded himself with people who could out-act a cardboard box. It worked.
The Mustache and the Man: Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot
Branagh didn't just direct; he stepped into the patent leather shoes of the world’s greatest detective. His Poirot is... intense. Unlike David Suchet’s more methodical, quiet version, Branagh’s detective is physically capable and deeply emotional. He’s obsessed with balance. If your tie is crooked, he’ll notice. If one egg is larger than the other, he’s annoyed.
But let’s talk about the mustache. It’s a double-decker. It’s a structural marvel. Some critics at the time thought it was too much, but in the context of the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast, it serves as a visual anchor. It tells you exactly who this man is before he even speaks. He is a man of excess and precision. Branagh brings a certain "theatre kid" energy to the role that makes the high-stakes ending feel genuinely Shakespearean rather than just a dry reveal of a whodunnit.
Johnny Depp and the Art of Being Unlikable
Usually, you want your big star to be the hero. Not here. Johnny Depp plays Edward Ratchett, a man who is essentially a walking red flag. He’s oily. He’s dangerous. He’s clearly terrified of something.
Depp’s screen time is actually quite short—spoiler alert for a 90-year-old story, but he’s the one who gets murdered—yet he looms over the entire film. He played Ratchett with a specific kind of American gangster grit that makes you almost relieved when he’s gone, which is exactly what the plot requires. You need to believe that every single person on that train had a reason to want him dead. If the victim isn't loathsome, the mystery loses its teeth.
The Royal Pairing: Michelle Pfeiffer and Judi Dench
If you’re going to cast a "vamp," you get Michelle Pfeiffer. She plays Caroline Hubbard, a woman who is loud, flirtatious, and deeply suspicious. Pfeiffer is the MVP of the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast. She gets the best lines, the best outfits, and a final scene that honestly might make you cry. She hasn’t lost a step of that Scarface or Batman Returns magnetism.
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Then you have Judi Dench.
Dame Judi plays Princess Dragomiroff. She spends most of the movie looking like she’s smelled something bad, which is perfect. She’s accompanied by Olivia Colman—who, keep in mind, hadn't won her Oscar for The Favourite yet. Watching Dench and Colman interact is a masterclass in power dynamics. Dench doesn't have to do much; she just exists, and the room shrinks. She brings the "old world" gravity that a story set in the 1930s desperately needs to feel authentic.
Daisy Ridley and the New Guard
Fresh off Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley was the big "get" for the younger demographic. She plays Mary Debenham. It’s a tricky role because she has to be poised but also clearly hiding a massive secret. Ridley holds her own against heavyweights like Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Dr. Arbuthnot.
Odom Jr. was coming straight off the massive success of Hamilton on Broadway. His inclusion was a smart move by Branagh. It modernized the story without breaking the period setting. The tension between Ridley and Odom Jr. provides the emotional "will-they-won't-they" heart of the film, even while a dead body is sitting a few cars down.
Josh Gad and the Surprise Factor
Most people know Josh Gad as Olaf from Frozen or the guy from The Book of Mormon. He’s the "funny guy." In this movie? He’s Hector MacQueen, Ratchett’s nervous, sweating assistant.
Gad plays it straight, and it’s surprisingly effective. He’s twitchy. He looks like a man who is constantly one second away from a nervous breakdown. It’s a reminder that the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast wasn't just about putting famous faces on screen; it was about casting against type to keep the audience guessing. When the funny guy looks guilty, you start questioning everything.
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Penelope Cruz and the Weight of Guilt
Penelope Cruz plays Pilar Estravados, a character who, in the original book, was actually a different nationality (Greta Ohlsson). Cruz brings a heavy, religious somberness to the role. She’s a missionary who seems to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Her performance is quiet. It’s internal. While characters like Hubbard are taking up all the oxygen in the room, Cruz is in the corner, praying and looking terrified. It’s a necessary contrast. If everyone was "big," the movie would be exhausting. You need the quiet ones to make the loud ones pop.
Willem Dafoe and the Mystery of the Professor
Willem Dafoe could play a suspicious character in his sleep. Here, he’s Gerhard Hardman, a German professor with some very... specific... views on race and sociology. Dafoe is a shapeshifter. He fits into the 1930s aesthetic perfectly, looking like he stepped right out of a sepia-toned photograph.
His interaction with Poirot is some of the best dialogue in the film. You have two highly intelligent men testing each other, looking for a crack in the armor. Dafoe doesn't need much dialogue to communicate a threat; he just uses those eyes.
Why This Specific Cast Worked for 2017
The 1974 version of this movie also had a legendary cast (Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall). Branagh knew he couldn't just copy that. He had to create a version that felt relevant to a modern audience used to "cinematic universes."
The 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast works because of the "anchors" and "drifters."
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- The Anchors: Branagh, Dench, and Pfeiffer. They provide the historical and dramatic weight.
- The Drifters: Ridley, Odom Jr., and Gad. They bring the fresh energy and the "current" star power.
By mixing these two groups, the movie feels like a bridge between old-school Hollywood glamour and modern blockbuster pacing. It also helps that they were all stuck in a very small space. Reports from the set suggest the cast became incredibly close because they were essentially living on those train cars for weeks. That familiarity—or in some cases, that claustrophobia—comes through on screen.
The Subtle Players You Missed
While the big names get the posters, actors like Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Biniamino Marquez) and Sergei Polunin (Count Andrenyi) add the necessary flavor. Polunin, a world-famous ballet dancer, brings a violent, physical unpredictability to the Count. He doesn't act like the other actors; he moves like a predator.
And then there's Marwan Kenzari as the conductor, Pierre Michel. He’s the guy who has to deal with all these crazy rich people while a murder investigation is happening. He plays it with a tired, working-class resignation that makes the whole world feel lived-in.
How the Cast Influenced the Ending
The ending of Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most famous "twists" in literary history. If you have a weak cast, the reveal feels like a gimmick. If you have a strong cast, it feels like a tragedy.
Because we’ve spent two hours watching Michelle Pfeiffer crumble, or seeing the fear in Daisy Ridley’s eyes, the final confrontation in the train tunnel carries actual weight. It’s not just about "who did it." It’s about "why they had to do it." The collective talent of the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast elevates the film from a simple puzzle to a study of grief and vigilante justice.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Writers
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this world or even write your own ensemble mystery, there are a few things you can actually take away from how this film was put together:
- Study the "Rule of Contrast": Look at how Branagh pairs loud characters (Hubbard) with quiet ones (Estravados). In any great story, characters should act as foils to one another.
- Watch the 1974 Version vs. 2017: If you want to see how acting styles have evolved, watch both back-to-back. The 1974 version is more theatrical; 2017 is more internal and moody.
- Read the Source Material: Agatha Christie wrote these characters as archetypes. The 2017 cast had to find the "human" inside the archetype. It's a great exercise for actors or writers to see how you can add layers to a "stock" character like "The Governess" or "The Butler."
- Check out the sequels: If you liked this ensemble, Death on the Nile (2022) and A Haunting in Venice (2023) follow a similar "mega-cast" formula. It’s interesting to see how Branagh adjusts the tone for different settings.
The 2017 Murder on the Orient Express cast remains a high-water mark for the modern whodunnit. It proved that audiences still want to see great actors in fancy clothes solving a murder, provided the emotional stakes feel real. You don't need capes or explosions when you have Judi Dench giving you a death stare and Michelle Pfeiffer singing a haunting melody in the credits. It’s just good, old-fashioned cinema.