A One Mann’s Movies review of “Death on the Nile” (2022).
Kenneth Branagh might not have done his Best Director odds for “Belfast” much good by (finally) releasing “Death on the Nile” during the Oscar season. Because, while exotic and escapist, it’s also a bit of a clunky old potboiler.
This review will be spoiler-free.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
“The world’s greatest detective” Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), while at a London nightclub, witnesses the start of a fine romance between glamorous starlet Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer). But he simultaneously witnesses the romantic fury of Doyle’s ex-squeeze Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey).
A few months later, while visiting the pyramids in Giza, he runs into the Doyles again who are now on honeymoon with their extensive entourage of friends. But a jealous Bellefort is stalking the couple and a romantic cruise down the Nile turns to horror after a terrible murder. Poirot is not on holiday any longer!
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Emma Mackey, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Ali Fazal, Rose Leslie, Sophie Okonedo.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh.
Written by: Michael Green (Based on the novel by Agatha Christie).
“Death on the Nile” Review:
Positives:
- I mean, in the midst of a British winter, who’s not going to love a bit of “Death in Paradise” on the big screen?
- Whilst I felt a lot of the star-studded cast were rather dull and wooden, Emma Mackey (most famous for the “Sex Education” TV series) shimmers with real charisma and star quality in this as the spurned fiancée. I also liked the performance by Russell Brand as Doctor Windlesham. A far more restrained and measured Brand, and better for it.
- The reviews of “Murder on the Orient Express” (including mine) waxed-lyrical (no pun intended) about Poirot’s ridiculous moustache. Here, in a pre-title sequence, we see how and why he acquired it. It’s almost a “Ha! Now you feel bad for making fun of it” sort of put-down by Branagh, which I rather liked.
Negatives:
- One of my problems with “Murder on the Orient Express” was that I so clearly remembered ‘whodunnit’ that there was no thrill to the reveal. My memories of the earlier 1978 Peter Ustinov version of “Death on the Nile” were clearly hazier, since going in I had no idea who the murderer(s) was/were. That being said, this was no “Death in Paradise”, where after 50 minutes Richard / Humphrey / Jack / Neville (delete as applicable) goes “Aha!” and you as the viewer go “What???”. Here, the clues are landed in the script as heavily as the Karnak’s anchor hits the bed of the Nile. While I had a few of the details wrong, I’d got the culprit(s) bang to rights well before Poirot.
- In Disney’s “Jungle Cruise“, although I KNEW it was filmed in lockdown with green screens in a studio, it was so well done that I quickly ignored that. Here, I could never get over the view that the boat was in the UK (built in fact at Longcross Studios) surrounded by green screens. The studio-based footage all looks even more false in the transitions between the set and the real-life location footage, filmed in Morocco by the 2nd unit. I don’t think filming it in ultra-sparkly 65mm did it any favours in this regard.
- As commented above, a lot of the cast played their parts in a pretty wooden fashion. Perhaps they were all sulking that filming at Longcross and the Cotswold Water Park was not quite the Egyption location holiday they were imagining when they signed up?!
Summary Thoughts on “Death on the Nile”
Just as TV’s “Death in Paradise” lights up the dim dark winter nights with some much needed Carribean warmth, “Death on the Nile” is a sunny piece of escapism that makes for a pleasant night out at the cinema. But the word I used to the illustrious Mrs Movie Man in the car home was “clunky”. And that’s rather what it felt like.
This movie’s release has had significant delay thanks to the pandemic. Its also not been short of controversy, given the alleged fantasy tales of sexual abuse and cannibalism that have circled around star Armie Hammer(which, I should make clear, he has hotly denied). It’s been interesting how Disney’s publicity for the film has been “de-Hammer-ised” through lockdown! He only makes pretty subliminal appearances in the new trailer and is barely peeping out behind Gadot in the current poster!
The movie’s not a complete bust, but neither is it a Christie classic. Would I like Branagh to make any more Hercule Poirot films? Yes, I would. But please not “Evil Under The Sun” next… I remember that plot far too well!
Trailer for “Death on the Nile”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZRqB0JLizw .
Haha – I’m amused that Mark Kermode (@KermodeMovie) in his very good review of Death on the Nile (here) comments that a “colleague” made the same point as I did in my opening sentence. Now, I’d LOVE to be regarded as a “colleague” by Mark Kermode, but I suspect he is referring to someone else!