Death on the Nile

I enjoyed this movie in the cinema as opposed to the recent Murder on the Orient Express, which left me completely cold because it was simply a pretentious flamboyant parade of stars with no added value. The filmmakers did not shy away from somewhat tweaking the plot of Death on the Nile. So even though I already knew the end of the story quite well, I ended up being slightly surprised by its development, where the tone of the movie became indiscriminate and somewhat pessimistic. Thumbs up for that. (04/18/2022)

I’m a big fan of the detective genre, so just like with Murder on the Orient Express, I was eagerly anticipating Death on the Nile. Kenneth Branagh's portrayal of Hercule Poirot is spot-on, and the film's lavish production is undeniably impressive. But that grandeur is also where it stumbles a bit. Agatha Christie's stories, while top-tier in the mystery department, are inherently intimate affairs. This film, however, feels anything but. The cinematography is stunning — it's practically an ad for 1930s Egypt, and you can’t help but be mesmerized by it. The period atmosphere is also on point, though I could’ve done with less of the overdone sexual tension that Branagh decided to inject into the story. The cast, however, is where things get a bit shaky. The acting feels overly theatrical, to the point where nearly every character becomes irritating (except Poirot, of course — his theatricality is part of his charm). The ensemble is a collection of largely unnecessary characters, and honestly, if the boat had sunk and taken them all with it, I wouldn't have minded — the story might have ended quicker, and we’d be spared the drawn-out drama. That said, Russell Brand was a surprising standout — I didn’t even recognize him until he spoke. And Emma Mackey, who gave off major Emma Stone vibes, also caught my attention. Overall, Death on the Nile is an interesting watch, but for me, the older adaptations still hold the crown. (02/11/2022)

Hercule Poirot for the second time, and another borefest. Murder on the Orient Express is one of the few films where I fell asleep in the cinema, and Death on the Nile has a similarly leisurely pace, but thankfully it didn't cost me my cinema ticket. Nothing happens for an hour, nothing at all. They introduce uninteresting characters in an uninteresting way with uninteresting dialogue, but fortunately in a fairly attractive setting (Egypt, the Nile) – a minor plus point compared to a Train – but I still found it woefully underwhelming. I don't find Hercule Poirot interesting as a detective, he doesn't have any gripping, revolutionary investigative methods, nothing to stand out, he's an intelligent gentleman doing his job but it doesn't add much to the viewing experience. The wait for a murder here is longer than the wait for a payday, and on top of that it's just the usual uninterestingly rendered murders in every other B-grade crime series. I don't see how a fan of Se7en, Hannibal and the like, where everything from the murders to the actual investigation works, can be satisfied with the outcome here. I was counting on at least the final reveal, where an interesting twist might come, but even that is readable from the opening minutes, even without knowing the source material. For me, the prototype of the most useless and least attractive crime drama that the world may see. Only pensioners can be entertained by this. Decent visuals, fine actors, but everything else completely passed me by both cinematically and as a viewer. Story 3/5. Action 0/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 2/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 4/10. (07/12/2022)

At times Death on the Nile looks like a modern theatre play, at times like a largely impressive colouring book, which is inappropriate for a film of this type. The whole thing is a little bit flat, sweaty, going for power, or rather for effect. Branagh's Poirot is OK, but the rest of the cast is mostly jerking and prancing around. What's missing are real visuals, decent camera work, real sets and, most importantly, a better plot. (05/02/2022)

At the beginning Branagh unnecessarily illuminates the reason for the moustache, he probably thinks we viewers are complete idiots, and then in artificial digital sets, coloured like gypsies' nails, he decides to desecrate an otherwise quite nice piece of literature. I wouldn't have expected this from him, someone with a theatre background. (04/19/2022)