DEATH ON THE NILE
****
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenwriter: Michael Green, based on the eponymous novel by Agatha Christie.
Principal cast:
Kenneth Branagh
Gal Gadot
Emma Mackey
Armie Hammer
Tom Bateman
Annette Bening
Country: UK/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 127 mins.
Australian release date: 10 February 2022.
Kenneth Branagh’s directorial expertise is currently on show as a double act because two of his films, Belfast and Death on the Nile, are currently screening in Australian cinemas. The latter had been delayed for a number of reasons, including COVID-19 and one of the film’s male stars being under a cloud, accused of sexual abuse. But, as the adage goes, better late than never and Branagh’s adaptation of one of the most famous of Agatha Christie’s novels is an absolute treat. It's the third time the great mystery writer’s novel has been filmed: it was first dramatised in 1978 with Peter Ustinov in the role of Hercule Poirot, the Belgian sleuth, then again in 2004 as an episode in the TV series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, with David Suchet as the moustachioed detective. Now, Branagh himself is in the starring role, reprising the part he originally played in his film Murder on the Orient Express in 2017. Thankfully, this effort is much more satisfying than the last.
The film opens in late-1914 in the trenches on the front in World War I Belgium. It reveals that Poirot has a haunted past and shows us the reason why the detective first grew his famous moustache. When next we meet him, he’s in London in 1937 and we join him in a popular nightclub as he witnesses an awkward scene between two friends, while being entertained by blues guitarist Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, whose singing voice is supplied by the fabulous Sister Rosetta Tharpe; look her up on YouTube if you don’t know her). The next visual extravaganza has Poirot on a chair admiring the pyramids of Giza, Egypt, when his reverie is interrupted by the sight of a man flying a kite halfway up the side of one of the pyramids. It turns out that the kite flyer is Bouc (Tom Bateman), his old pal from Murder on the Orient Express, who invites him to join a glamorous honeymoon party in Cairo. There, he meets the bride, heiress Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle (Gal Godot) and her new husband, the penniless Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), who were two of the people Poirot had seen at the nightclub back in London. Their marriage is the result of that fateful evening when Linnet’s ‘bestie’, Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), introduced her to her fiancé Doyle, who promptly dumped Jackie for Linnet. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned, they say, and Jackie has been stalking the couple ever since, and she joins the party when the guests board the S. S. Karnak for a cruise up the Nile.
If you have ever been fortunate enough to travel to Egypt, Death on the Nile will remind you of the breath-taking scenery as the camera sweeps across the desert dunes, the pyramids, the temples and the magnificent statues at Abu Simbel, Aswan, all bathed in glorious golden light. It is on-board the magnificent paddle steamer while it is moored at Abu Simbel that the action really begins. In addition to the aforementioned people, the wedding party includes a doctor, Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand), previously betrothed to Linnet, Bouc’s mother Euphemia (Annette Bening), Marie Van Schuyler, Linnet's godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her companion Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), Linnet’s accountant Andrew Katchadorian (Ali Fazal), plus Salome Otterbourne, to entertain the guests, her niece Rosalie (Letitia Wright) and Linnet’s maid Louise (Rose Leslie). As the bodies pile up, Poirot passionately declares to the guests, “The crime is murder. The murderer is one of you. I have investigated many crimes, but this has altered the shape of my soul. I am detective Hercule Poirot and I will deliver your killer.” His investigation takes the audience on a captivating journey that will keep you guessing until the end because of the false leads and red herrings strewn about to throw you off the scent.
Branagh has made a finely-crafted film that depicts a bygone era which is evocatively portrayed on every level, especially by the cinematography of Haris Zambarloukos and the production design of Jim Clay (who both worked on Belfast), and the wonderful costumes by Paco Delgado and JobanJit Singh, all wrapped up in an excellent score by Patrick Doyle. And, of course, the performances are all terrific, spurred on by the great dialogue of Michael Green’s screenplay. Death on the Nile is a thoroughly entertaining execution of murder most foul.
Screenwriter: Michael Green, based on the eponymous novel by Agatha Christie.
Principal cast:
Kenneth Branagh
Gal Gadot
Emma Mackey
Armie Hammer
Tom Bateman
Annette Bening
Country: UK/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 127 mins.
Australian release date: 10 February 2022.
Kenneth Branagh’s directorial expertise is currently on show as a double act because two of his films, Belfast and Death on the Nile, are currently screening in Australian cinemas. The latter had been delayed for a number of reasons, including COVID-19 and one of the film’s male stars being under a cloud, accused of sexual abuse. But, as the adage goes, better late than never and Branagh’s adaptation of one of the most famous of Agatha Christie’s novels is an absolute treat. It's the third time the great mystery writer’s novel has been filmed: it was first dramatised in 1978 with Peter Ustinov in the role of Hercule Poirot, the Belgian sleuth, then again in 2004 as an episode in the TV series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, with David Suchet as the moustachioed detective. Now, Branagh himself is in the starring role, reprising the part he originally played in his film Murder on the Orient Express in 2017. Thankfully, this effort is much more satisfying than the last.
The film opens in late-1914 in the trenches on the front in World War I Belgium. It reveals that Poirot has a haunted past and shows us the reason why the detective first grew his famous moustache. When next we meet him, he’s in London in 1937 and we join him in a popular nightclub as he witnesses an awkward scene between two friends, while being entertained by blues guitarist Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, whose singing voice is supplied by the fabulous Sister Rosetta Tharpe; look her up on YouTube if you don’t know her). The next visual extravaganza has Poirot on a chair admiring the pyramids of Giza, Egypt, when his reverie is interrupted by the sight of a man flying a kite halfway up the side of one of the pyramids. It turns out that the kite flyer is Bouc (Tom Bateman), his old pal from Murder on the Orient Express, who invites him to join a glamorous honeymoon party in Cairo. There, he meets the bride, heiress Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle (Gal Godot) and her new husband, the penniless Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), who were two of the people Poirot had seen at the nightclub back in London. Their marriage is the result of that fateful evening when Linnet’s ‘bestie’, Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), introduced her to her fiancé Doyle, who promptly dumped Jackie for Linnet. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned, they say, and Jackie has been stalking the couple ever since, and she joins the party when the guests board the S. S. Karnak for a cruise up the Nile.
If you have ever been fortunate enough to travel to Egypt, Death on the Nile will remind you of the breath-taking scenery as the camera sweeps across the desert dunes, the pyramids, the temples and the magnificent statues at Abu Simbel, Aswan, all bathed in glorious golden light. It is on-board the magnificent paddle steamer while it is moored at Abu Simbel that the action really begins. In addition to the aforementioned people, the wedding party includes a doctor, Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand), previously betrothed to Linnet, Bouc’s mother Euphemia (Annette Bening), Marie Van Schuyler, Linnet's godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her companion Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), Linnet’s accountant Andrew Katchadorian (Ali Fazal), plus Salome Otterbourne, to entertain the guests, her niece Rosalie (Letitia Wright) and Linnet’s maid Louise (Rose Leslie). As the bodies pile up, Poirot passionately declares to the guests, “The crime is murder. The murderer is one of you. I have investigated many crimes, but this has altered the shape of my soul. I am detective Hercule Poirot and I will deliver your killer.” His investigation takes the audience on a captivating journey that will keep you guessing until the end because of the false leads and red herrings strewn about to throw you off the scent.
Branagh has made a finely-crafted film that depicts a bygone era which is evocatively portrayed on every level, especially by the cinematography of Haris Zambarloukos and the production design of Jim Clay (who both worked on Belfast), and the wonderful costumes by Paco Delgado and JobanJit Singh, all wrapped up in an excellent score by Patrick Doyle. And, of course, the performances are all terrific, spurred on by the great dialogue of Michael Green’s screenplay. Death on the Nile is a thoroughly entertaining execution of murder most foul.