A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice is very different from Kenneth Branagh's previous Poirot films. The less star-studded cast and smaller budget are not problem, the effort to use enclosed spaces for clever and spectacular camera games is nice, and it manages to be pleasantly creepy. An interesting and pleasant change. If Branagh plays with atmosphere and genre like this in future adaptations, I'll be happy to be there. (09/13/2023)

For the third time, I ventured into the world of Hercule Poirot through Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal (his French-accented English is, once again, impeccable), hoping to finally find the atmosphere I’ve been longing for. And this time, it truly delivered. A Haunting in Venice shines with its fresh cast and replaces the lavishness of previous installments with a more intimate setting that suits the detective perfectly. The stunning shots of the house interiors never get old, and Venice’s empty streets are always captivating. The stormy weather adds a mandatory layer of suspense. Perhaps it also helps that this story isn't as familiar. For me, it was fantastic — mysterious, almost horror-like, and capped off with a perfect twist that left me leaving the theater utterly satisfied. (09/14/2023)

This time Kenneth Branagh took a lesser-known detective story and went to post-war Venice during Halloween: a promising constellation at first sight. The setting of an old, "cursed" house and the ubiquitous voice of a child "from beyond the grave" added a slight horror touch to the film, helping to build the oppressive, perhaps even paranoid atmosphere of a story full of superstition, ghosts and personal trauma. Still, I had the feeling during the screening that there was something not quite right about the film: whether it was the casting of Tina Fey, the staging of some scenes purely for effect, or the rather hasty revelation of the perpetrator and their subsequent punishment. Given the premise and the reviews, I had overly high expectations for the film, which were not satisfactorily met. I would be lying, however, if I said I didn't have fun in the cinema. Maybe one day I will return to Venice and reconsider my opinion. (09/20/2023)

"After death there's..." - "Nothing." Poirot is pulled from his Venetian idleness and gardening to use his rationality, supported by unfortunate life experiences, to put an end to the supernatural. However, there is no "irresistible case" here. To achieve that, the damp walls would need to lose some of their theatrically infused mannerisms and ineffective scares, and be aired out with a stronger atmosphere of whodunit uncertainty. Then, perhaps, the characters wouldn’t be so dull and lifeless. For the Belgian with remnants of glue and rhododendron pollen under his nose, it nonetheless brought an interesting realization: that the little gray cells can crack a case even when under the influence. Or was it because of that...? (11/13/2023)

Kenneth Branagh continues with the same, generic whodunit that is a carbon copy of the previous one. Only instead of the sunny Nile Delta with its often overly digital Pyramids, we have mysterious Venice, specifically a gothic house full of strange sounds and untold secrets. Not a single moment is remarkable, not a single shot or sequence of events unpredictable. At least it is briskly told and with a few wannabe horror moments and a decent production design, and it also has a decent (meaning short) running time. (02/15/2024)