Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Death on the Nile (2022)

IMDb plot summary: While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, and Kenneth Branagh.

Death on the Nile is Kenneth Branagh's sequel to Murder on the Orient Express, where he once again plays Detective Hercule Poirot, based on the popular mystery novels by Agatha Christie. Instead of being on a train, this time Poirot is accompanying a newlywed couple and their friends on a celebratory trip to Egypt, when one of them is murdered. This is not as interesting a plot as Orient Express, neither in the cast of characters nor in the mystery's solution, though it does round up a decent ensemble of actors including Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, and Annette Bening, among others. But where this film falters the most, I think, is in trying to shoehorn in a dramatic arc for Poirot himself. It's just not that kind of story, and it means that we never really lean as much as I want into the other characters being created because I find myself kind of just waiting for Poirot's arc to play out. It's definitely a step down from Branagh's previous Christie adaptation, even if the Christie formula is still strong enough to hold it together.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Death on the Nile < Port of Shadows
Death on the Nile > In the Company of Men
Death on the Nile > Withnail & I
Death on the Nile > The English Patient
Death on the Nile < Vivo
Death on the Nile < Must Love Dogs
Death on the Nile > Avengers: Infinity War
Death on the Nile > No eres tu, soy yo
Death on the Nile > Trumbo
Death on the Nile < Holiday Affair
Death on the Nile < Swing Time
Death on the Nile < You'll Never Get Rich
Final spot: #2013 out of 3670, or 45%.

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