Death on the Nile (Kenneth Branagh, 2022) wr. Michael Green from Agatha Christie's novel; Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Kenneth Branagh, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright
I am very impressed with this spectacular piece of cinematic art. It's my first tip for a Best Film nom at the 2023 Oscars. Surprisingly effective overture commences an interest in the detective himself, Hercule Poirot, which deepens throughout as one narrative strand.
(They say that Nicole Kidman won her Oscar 'by a nose' for the Virginia Woolf biopic The Hours. Branagh might win one 'by a moustache'.)
Peter Bradshaw does not agree:
Long coronavirally delayed, Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie movie puffs effortfully into harbour. It’s the classic whodunnit about a murder on a steamer making its way down the river in Egypt with an Anglo-American boatful of waxy-faced cameos aboard. The horrible homicide means that one of the passengers will have to spring into action, and this is of course the amply moustached Hercule Poirot, played by Branagh himself. ... the clockwork grinds into action, bringing up in due course more dead bodies like the ship’s paddlewheel, but there is no sense of crescendo and climax. Branagh brings something spirited and good-humoured to the role of Poirot, but the film’s attempt to create some romantic stirrings to go with the activities of those little grey cells is not very convincing. Guardian.
Dan Rubins was entertained:
Branagh inserts long, meandering scenes of nightclub dancing and desert tours that set the first half of Death on the Nile adrift, though cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos captures some mesmerizing shots that convincingly evoke Egypt’s grandeur—no easy feat considering that the film wasn’t actually shot on location. But Death on the Nile’s sudden gearshift from the scenic route to a riveting, tightly paced cruise is rather remarkable. It turns out that murder, of course, is all that’s needed to set the film in the right direction.
It’s a lot more fun to see Poirot in vigorous investigative mode, accusing each suspect and watching them squirm under his insinuations. The sleuth even gets to participate in a full-throttle, engagingly gratuitous chase sequence. And the rest of the cast rise to the occasion without hamminess, with Gadot and Mackey convincingly caustic as the friends turned rivals for Simon’s affection. Once things get moving, it’s smooth sailing to the double-shocker of a denouement. By the end of this entertaining voyage, a slow start can easily be forgiven. slant.
Christy Lemire has misgivings:
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery, the follow-up to his 2017 Murder on the Orient Express, finds the filmmaker once again behind the camera and in front of it as the legendary detective Hercule Poirot. And while it’s clear he’s having a ball as the elaborately mustachioed supersleuth, the journey for us isn’t quite as much escapist fun. There’s a distracting detachment at work here, both in the visual effects and performances. Individual moments from supporting players bring the film to life only sporadically. And while his A-list stars, Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot, may be impossibly beautiful, they’re both oddly stiff and have zero romantic chemistry with each other. ...
We can’t properly luxuriate in the scenery, either. So much of Death on the Nile looks empty and artificial—a glossy, CGI-rendered version of legitimately grand and impressive sights. At times, this may as well be Death on the Nile: The Video Game. Given how long the film has been delayed because of the pandemic, maybe that’s what it should have been. Roger Ebert.
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 29 March, 2022 | Now: 6 August, 2022