Death on the Nile

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)

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)

Perhaps I liked this even more than Orient Express. Branagh is excellent as Poirot and his black and white flashback is the most powerful scene of the entire movie. Although your can hear the paper rustling as for the detective crime plot, the acting ensemble gets the very most out of it. Emma Mackey is just fantastic. And we get to see Armie the Cannibal in his last role as well. Really, really good. (09/10/2022)

Death on the Nile has always had a bit of something luxurious, fantastic, and amazing within it. The adaptation with Ustinov made the brand famous. Later there was a series with Suchet. And this year, we can tick off the excellent new version with Branagh, which I waited for during the entire pandemic. For a better experience, it was of course ideal to watch the new Murder on the Orient Express (2017). I wish there were a few more wonderful feature films like this, because Branagh's relationship to the world of Agatha Christie is not only smart, but respectful and courageous at the same time. It offers eye-candy shots of the whole Nile cruise and directorial work with very interesting actors. In addition to the statuesque Gal Gadot, we get the classically perfect Annette Bening, the Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French duo… (02/13/2022)

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)