Kenneth Branagh took a massive gamble. When the first Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer dropped back in 2017, the internet didn't exactly react with a collective "Aha!" Instead, there was a lot of confusion. Why was there modern Imagine Dragons music playing over a 1930s period piece? Why did Hercule Poirot have a mustache that looked like two sentient badgers fighting on his upper lip?
It worked, though. It really worked.
The trailer for the 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s most famous work is actually a masterclass in modern marketing, even if it felt jarring at the time. You’ve got to remember that Fox (before the Disney merger) was trying to sell a "stuffy" drawing-room mystery to a generation raised on Fast & Furious. They weren't just selling a movie; they were selling an event. They needed to prove that Christie wasn’t just for your grandmother’s bookshelf.
The "Believer" Choice: Music that Broke the Internet
Let's talk about that song. "Believer" by Imagine Dragons.
If you watch the Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer today, the beat still hits. It’s heavy. It’s rhythmic. It matches the chugging of the locomotive wheels. Most purists absolutely hated it. They wanted Alan Silvestri-style orchestral swells or maybe some period-accurate jazz. But the marketing team at Fox knew something the critics didn't: bass sells tickets.
By layering a 21st-century anthem over 1934 aesthetics, the trailer signaled that this wasn't a slow burn. It promised a "theatrical experience." It turned a claustrophobic train carriage into a high-stakes arena. This is a common trope now—think of the Great Gatsby trailer using Jay-Z—but for a whodunit, it was a legitimate pivot. It moved the needle from "intellectual puzzle" to "blockbuster thriller."
A Cast of Suspects (and Why the Trailer Focused on Faces)
The trailer spends a huge amount of time just... looking at people.
It’s a smart move because the cast was, frankly, insane. You had Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, and Judi Dench. Oh, and a pre-superstardom Josh Gad and Daisy Ridley fresh off Star Wars. The Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer didn't need to explain the plot. Everyone knows the plot. A guy gets stabbed, the train gets stuck in the snow, and everyone is lying.
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Instead, the trailer functions as a visual roll call.
The camera glides through the train in what looks like a single continuous shot—though it’s actually clever editing—stopping at each booth to highlight a different A-lister. This creates a "spot the celebrity" game for the viewer. It builds a sense of scale. When you see Michelle Pfeiffer looking glamorous but terrified, or Leslie Odom Jr. looking stoic, you aren't thinking about the logistics of 1930s rail travel. You're wondering which of these multi-million-dollar faces is the killer.
That Mustache: The Elephant in the Room
We have to address Poirot's facial hair.
In the books, Agatha Christie describes Hercule Poirot’s mustache as "stiff and military" and "the most magnificent mustache in all England." Previous versions, like Albert Finney’s or the iconic David Suchet, kept it relatively contained. Branagh went the other way. He went big. He went double-decker.
When the Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer first showed that silver-grey facial landscape, it became an instant meme. But honestly? It served a purpose. It established Branagh’s Poirot as a more physical, eccentric, and perhaps even slightly more "action-oriented" version of the character. It was a visual shorthand for: "This isn't your daddy's Poirot." It was a brand-new take.
The Cinematography of the Reveal
One thing people forget is that this movie was shot on 65mm film.
That’s rare. That’s "Christopher Nolan" rare.
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The trailer highlights this through the sheer crispness of the snowscapes. There’s a shot where the train is crawling across a high wooden trestle bridge, surrounded by nothing but blinding white peaks. It looks epic. Most murder mysteries feel small and stagey. This trailer made the story feel as big as a superhero movie. The contrast between the warm, mahogany interiors of the train and the blue, freezing death of the Yugoslavian mountains outside is peak visual storytelling. It tells you exactly what the stakes are without a single word of dialogue.
Why It Still Ranks as a Top-Tier Trailer
If you go back and watch the various teasers for the sequels, like Death on the Nile or A Haunting in Venice, they all follow the blueprint of this first Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer.
They all use:
- A rhythmic, modern soundtrack to keep the energy high.
- Rapid-fire introductions of a massive ensemble cast.
- Slightly "off" camera angles to make the viewer feel uneasy.
- A focus on Poirot as a "superhero of deduction" rather than just an old man with a cane.
It’s a formula that resurrected the big-budget whodunit. Without this trailer's success, we might not have the Knives Out franchise or the revival of the "cozy mystery" in mainstream cinema. It proved there was a massive, untapped audience for theatrical puzzles.
Real Talk: The Accuracy of the Trailer vs. The Film
Trailers are often "liars."
The Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer makes the film look like a fast-paced action movie. In reality, the movie is much more contemplative. It spends a lot of time on Poirot’s internal moral struggle—the idea that "there is right, there is wrong, and now there is you."
If you watch the trailer expecting a chase movie, you might be disappointed. But if you watch it as a gateway into a world of luxury and lies, it’s perfect. It captures the vibe of Christie’s work, even if it dresses it up in modern clothes.
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How to Analyze the Trailer Like a Pro
If you're a film student or just a massive nerd for marketing, watch the trailer again and pay attention to the lighting. Notice how the light changes as the camera moves through the cars. It goes from the bright, hopeful light of the dining car to the shadows of the sleeping quarters.
It’s foreshadowing.
The trailer also uses a "long take" technique that isn't actually in the movie in that exact way. It was stitched together specifically for the promo to give a sense of the train's layout. It’s a brilliant bit of "trailer-only" filmmaking that helps the audience understand the geography of the crime scene before they even buy a ticket.
Next Steps for the Christie Enthusiast
To get the most out of your re-watch of the Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer, start by comparing it to the 1974 version’s trailer. You’ll see a massive shift in how Hollywood sells tension—moving from voiceover-heavy explanations to pure visual and auditory "vibes." After that, look for the "hidden" clues the editors snuck into the 2017 trailer. There are brief flashes of a bloody kimono and a dropped glass that tell the whole story in under two seconds.
Finally, track down the behind-the-scenes footage of the 65mm cameras on the train sets. Seeing how they fit those massive machines into the narrow corridors makes you appreciate the cinematography in the trailer ten times more. It wasn't just CGI; they built that world.