Stylish but not really satisfying
Film Critic Jason Evans is on a mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to read the back cover of an Agatha Christie novel. His reviews are exactly 100 words (not 99, not 101). This is his 100 word review of Death on the Nile.
The Premise - Actor/director Kenneth Branagh takes another
shot at Agatha Christie’s world-famous detective Hercule Poirot in this
follow-up to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express. It is the 1930s and Poirot
(Branagh) finds himself on a luxury cruise down the Nile with newlyweds Linnett
and Simon Doyle (Gal Godot and Armie Hammer). Linnett is fabulously wealthy and
has brought many friends along for the ride on this honeymoon trip, including characters
played by Russell Brand, Annette Benning, and Sophie Okendo. But, much to
everyone’s surprise, Simon’s former lover Jaqueline (Emma Mackey of the
wonderful Netflix series Sex Education) is also there. When one of the people
on board is murdered, Poirot must put his deductive powers to work to figure it
out before anyone else gets killed.
The 100 Words – Though gorgeously shot with a strong cast,
there’s just something missing in this film. It feels too predictable and with
so much over wrought emotion and yelling on screen, I had trouble connecting
with or rooting for any of the characters. There’s also a completely
unnecessary prologue about Poirot’s past that feels like it wants to set
something up but never lands properly. I wanted to really feel the genius of
Hercule Poirot, but it did not come through. If Branaugh wants to keep playing
the master detective, he should come up with a better mystery for him to solve.
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