Hercule Poirot must investigate a killing on a sumptuous cross-Europe train. Handsome and starry, this Agatha Christie adaptation struggles to showcase its cast or its plot, so while not-entertaining, feels a bit mechanical.
Tag: novel adaptation
Jack Reacher (2012, dir. Christopher McQuarrie)
Reacher investigates a mass-murder committed by a former sniper. First and better of the Tom Cruise adaptations of the Lee Child books, with a focus on old-school lo-fi tough guy thrills, and on a reasonable mystery backed up with excellent character acting.
The Ritual (2017, David Bruckner)
Four friends on a camping holiday in memory of their murdered friend take a short cut through a forest. Well-sustained Scandinavian backwoods horror (from the Adam Nevill novel) with some emotional depth and an intriguing mythology.
