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DEATH ON THE NILE (2022)
Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright, Susannah Fielding MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 2:07 Release Date: 2/11/22 |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | February 10, 2022 Something is a bit off about Death on the Nile. This is Kenneth Branagh's second go at an Agatha Christie mystery featuring the famous detective Hercule Poirot, following his adaptation of The Murder on the Orient Express. Once again, Branagh is behind the camera, serving as the director of a lavish production filled with a sizable ensemble of actors, and in front of it, playing Christie's enduringly popular sleuth. In theory, everything here is lined up for repeated success, but unfortunately, this follow-up only begins to find its way after the delayed start of its central mystery. Before all of that, we get a far more serious tone from Branagh and returning screenwriter Michael Green from the beginning. The previous film found a fine balance in making the detective the source of some comedy, in his peculiar manner and particular grooming, and tragedy, as the unfolding puzzle forced him to reconsider his moral compass. Right away, though, this movie leans into the unfortunate side of the character and his history. A prologue, set in the middle of the Great War, offers just the first couple steps in the increasingly tragic tale of the origin of Poirot's signature mustache (The final blow is revealed later, when the detective explains why he has had no desire for love in the intervening years). It's a strangely definitive move on the filmmakers' part—eliminating the humor of the most noteworthy and eccentric physical feature of the character. Additionally, when Poirot is finally given his time in the foreground of this story, he is continually beaten down by the confounding nature of this mystery and the consequences of his inability to solve it in a timely matter. The pleasure of the dichotomy of this private investigator, whose slightly ridiculous way of presenting himself belies just how cold and calculating he actually is, has been removed from this adventure. Indeed, the great detective barely figures into this story until a body—and then another and another—turns up bloody and cold. Much of the tale is instead devoted to the dull melodrama and tenuous relationships surrounding one Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), a wealthy businesswoman and socialite. It's 1937, and as Poirot attends a nightclub on some unknown business, the sleuth catches what he later bemoans to be only the first act of rather passionate romance. Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), a "beautifully simple" man, and Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), his current flame, are dancing in a way that's a couple steps beyond suggestive. Jacqueline introduces her beau to her old friend Linnet. Six weeks later while on vacation—or so he says—along the Nile in Egypt, Poirot discovers that Simon and Linnet have married, while Jacqueline has been stalking the couple on their honeymoon. He tags along with the wedding party, which includes his friend Bouc (Tom Bateman), trying to determine Jacqueline's intentions. Eventually, the large gang ends up on a sightseeing riverboat tour—the sights of which are consistently undermined by some pretty blatant use of digital backdrops. The usual formula proceeds, with a bunch of characters hinting at reasons we should suspect them whenever the central crime is eventually committed. The cast of this installment isn't as deep, established, or generally impressive as in the previous film, but there are plenty of suspects, regardless. A few standouts are Mackey as the sexy mess of a jilted ex, Jennifer Saunders as a former socialite who has become a communist, Annette Bening as Bouc's judgmental mother, and Sophie Okonedo as a renowned blues singer on whom Poirot has a bit of a sweetly childish crush. Some other potential killers include Russell Brand's Linus, a doctor who was once engaged to Linnet, and Rose Leslie's Louise, Linnet's put-upon and overlooked maid, but that doesn't exclude the singer's niece Rosalie (Letitia Wright) or Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French)—each of whom, like everyone on the boat (including Poirot), is hiding a secret or two. The extended build-up to the unavoidable murder doesn't offer much in terms of characterization or suspense, and the story's running theme, repeated a few times by our investigator and others, that love can turn anyone into a thief, a killer, or, in Poirot's case, a world-class detective isn't enough to elevate the thinly sketched characters. For Poirot, his back story definitely doesn't compensate for the ways in which the character has been altered and how much he's overshadowed until it's time for him to investigate that killing. Poirot's interviews and his process of solving what turns out to be a series of crimes are engaging, and even if the detective is a bit more solemn in this tale, Branagh remains a sturdy and intelligent presence once it's Poirot's turn in the spotlight. Of course, there's the solution to the mystery, which again reminds us how elegantly and diabolically clever Christie was in devising and assembling these puzzles. Death on the Nile may spring to life when these core components finally come together, but it's a long wait with a lot insubstantial elements for that moment to arrive. Copyright © 2022 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for violence, some bloody images, and sexual material)
