Death on the Nile

Adapting (and starring in) Agatha Christie for the second time, Kenneth Branagh brings a certain bombastic energy to a low key mystery story in Death on the Nile.  He swings for the fences here, giving us a lavish production, a star-studded cast that seem to be enjoying themselves as much as Branagh is returning to the role of Detective Hercule Poirot, and some pointless CG sequences that show animals devouring each other in a heavy-handed display of symbolism.  Despite the over the top grandeur and some unnecessary additions to the original story (Ever wonder why Poirot has a mustache?), the movie worked for me.

Besides, the excess seems to fit the story, which at its very core is centered around a bitter love triangle between a power couple and a jilted lover.  The couple in question are the lovely Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), while the role of the jilted lover is filled by Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma McKay), who used to be best friends with Linnet and was Simon's fiance, until she introduced the two, and they quickly began their romance.  Now Simon and Linnet are married, and Jacqueline seems to be stalking the couple.  Detective Poirot, who claims to be vacationing in Egypt at the same time as the newlywed's honeymoon, is hired by the couple to keep an eye on Jacqueline, as they're afraid her obsession will lead to tragedy.  Even when the party moves to a private luxury ship for the couple and their many friends and business associates, Jacqueline still finds her way on board.

Of course, Jacqueline is not the only one with an ax to grind concerning the couple, as it seems that nobody on board the ship is completely innocent.  When the wealthy Linnet is eventually found dead from a gunshot wound in her own bed, the list of suspects include Linnet's socialite godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), as well as her personal nurse Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), the jazz singer Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo) and her niece Rosalie (Letita Wright), and even Poirot's dear friend Bouc (Tom Bateman).  There are more characters, such as the couple's lawyer (Ali Fazal) and a medical doctor (an unrecognizable Russel Brand, good in a rare dramatic role) on board, just to name a few.  Everyone seems to be gripped by some kind of greed or jealousy regarding the couple, and as Poirot gathers the details and a few more bodies turn up, it's obvious that this goes much deeper than a simple love triangle, and that something more sinister is at play.

Death on the Nile works on the strength of its cast, even the ones whose careers have been hit by various scandals since the film was originally shot back in 2019. (It was delayed numerous times.) It also works because, despite its roughly two hour length and somewhat uneven pacing, it managed to hold my attention.  Yes, it would have been nice if the crimes had been kicked off a bit quicker than they are, and some bits of sleuthing have been reduced to dialogue rather than actual investigations, but the movie's beautiful settings, sense of atmosphere, and the performances lift the material up above any shortcomings.  Everyone in the cast seems to be relishing the chance to be nasty to one another, especially Gadot, who is playing a vain and entitled woman who is as far from her Wonder Woman image that she can get.  This is the kind of movie you can get lost in, and just enjoy yourself.

For all of the grand flourishes that Branagh has brought to his direction of the film, this still feels like an intimate mystery story, and the various characters and performances come through, and never once get drowned out by the spectacle surrounding them.  Maybe the film's excess could have been trimmed, but I still found myself wrapped up in this one.  More so, while some changes have been made to the overall story, I don't think too many purists of the original work will be up in arms here.  The story has been filmed before (most famously a 1978 movie with Peter Ustinov as Poirot), and despite the familiarity, the movie still feels fresh and engaging.  Maybe that's why Branagh felt he needed to go so grand with his vision for this film, in order to give the audience something they hadn't seen.  Regardless, he gets the mystery itself and the characters right, and that is more than enough.

But most of all, the movie has a sense of fun that carries through as the film plays out.  It's also the old fashioned kind of mystery that we seldom get these days.  Sure, it's no Knives Out, but it's usually greatly enjoyable when a movie like this manages to hit the screen these days, and Death on the Nile is no exception.

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