Uncharted

 

I've always had a lot of love for a good treasure hunting adventure movie, whether it was the Indiana Jones films, The Goonies, The Adventures of Tintin, the National Treasure films, or yes, even the Lara Croft movies I just love watching these movies. Intrepid adventurers following the clues, solving the puzzles, and avoiding booby traps while traveling across the world to find their prize. Uncharted fits very comfortably within this very specific genre.  

Nathan Drake (played by Tom Holland) is trying to make a living in New York City, working as a bartender while also engaging in a little light theft from the occasional customer. He is approached one night by Victor "Sully" Sullivan (played by Mark Wahlberg) who needs his help. He was working with Nathan's older brother Sam (played by Rudy Pankow) to find treasure hidden by Magellan's crew. He was lost track of Sam after he helped Sully steal the diary of Juan Sebastian Elcano's diary. He needs Nathan's help to try and find Sam and recover the treasure. Also seeking the treasure is Santiago Moncado (played by Antonio Banderas) and his associate, Jo Braddock (played by Tati Gabrielle). Santiago is a descendant of the family who originally funded Magellan's expedition. First task is to retrieve a golden cross linked to Magellan's crew from an Auction House while dodging Moncado and his men. From there, it's off to Barcelona to meet up with another of Sully's associates, Chloe (played by Sophia Ali), who has another cross that pairs with the one Nathan and Sully got, which turn out to be literal keys to begin the journey to finding the treasure, all the while trying to keep one step ahead of Moncado as well and determining if they can even trust one another. 

The film was directed by Rueben Fleischer from a script written by Rafe Lee Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Rosenberg and is based on the popular series of Playstation games. The filmmakers do a good job translating the game to the big screen, with the film remaining accessible to filmgoers who are unfamiliar with the games while also working in little nods to the game. The film does have it's share of memorable set pieces, including one involving Tom Holland clinging on for dear life dangling out the back of a large cargo plane while fighting off assorted goons that is easily one of the highlights of the movie. Another sequence I really enjoyed had Nathan, Chloe and Sully working their way around Barcelona trying to find a spot they need to unlock with their respective crosses (which are also secretly keys) only for each to encounter a unique obstacle: the keyholes are in a very busy underground nightclub and a busy Papa Johns, respectively. It made for an entertaining problem for them to solve in a way that acknowledges how cities like Barcelona that have a deep history have grown and evolved over the years in a really amusing way. Still, the film does hit the familiar beats of previous movies in this genre. Personally, I enjoyed this but it may feel a little too familiar for some filmgoers. 

Tom Holland does well as Nathan Drake, applying the same sort of charm that he has found great success with in the Spider-Man movies, but Nathan Drake is also a little bit more morally flexible than Peter Parker. He also proves to be up to the more physical side of the role as Drake finds himself going through some pretty serious scrapes throughout the film. Mark Wahlberg proves to be a good treasure hunting partner as Sully, playing off Holland well as the two swap quick witted one-liners. He also strikes the right balance with his character where you're not quite sure you can trust him or not. Sophia Ali completes their trio and likewise is another person we're not quite sure if they can trust or not. She had a decent chemistry with Tom Holland as well as a potential love interest. Antonio Banderas does the best he can as Moncado, but he never quite proves to be the intimidating threat the film needs him to be. Still, he does ground the role a bit and make him less of a one dimensional, mustache twirling villain. Curiously, those aspects more come through the character played by Tati Gabrielle, whose Jo Braddock proves to be far more ruthless in her desire to find the treasure and is willing to do anything to get it. It is refreshing to see this sort of role filled by a female character, which we still don't see enough. 

Overall, Uncharted may feel a little too familiar at times but in this case that's not a bad thing. It fits very comfortably within the treasure hunting adventure genre with a good sense of humor and all those well worn tropes re-invigorated with a certain amount of charm from the cast to carry us through. It's nothing more than a fun popcorn movie and, refreshingly, it never pretends to be more than that either. Maybe I was just in the mood for this kind of movie, but I sure did have a good time watching it.

Death on the Nile (2022)

 

Kenneth Branagh returns to the role of Hercule Poirot in his handsomely mounted, star-studded follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile. Much like the previous film, this one adapts one of Agatha Christie's most popular mysteries honoring the original text while also mixing things around just enough to keep Christie fans on their toes. 

Hercule Poirot (played by Kenneth Branagh) has recently returned to London and preparing to enjoy a night out at the local club to experience the music of famed Jazz singer Salome Otterbourne (played by Sophie Okonedo). There, he witnesses Jackie de Bellefort (played by Emma Mackey) introduce her fiancé Simon Doyle (played by Armie Hammer) to her childhood friend, Linnet Ridgeway (played by Gal Gadot). Jackie is hoping to get Simon a job with Linnet as her estate manager and encourages the two to take a spin on the dance floor to get to know one another. The plan works a little too well. Six Weeks Later, Poirot is vacationing in Cairo when he runs into his old friend Bouc (played by Tom Bateman) who is similarly on vacation with his mother, Euphemia (played by Annette Bening). Overjoyed to see his friend, Bouc invites Poirot to join the wedding party they are traveling with. No surprise, the happy couple are Linnet Ridgeway and Simon Doyle. Also traveling with the happy couple are Salome and her niece and manager, Rosalie (played by Letitia Wright), Linnet's godmother Marie van Schuyler (played by Jennifer Saunders) and her nurse and companion Mrs. Bowers (played by Dawn French), Linnet's cousin Andrew Katchadourian (played by Ali Fazal) her also handles her business affairs, Linnet's personal maid Louise Bourget (played by Rose Leslie), and Dr. Linus Windlesham (played by Russell Brand), who is also Linnet's former fiancé. Linnet takes Poirot aside asks for his help as Jackie has been stalking her and Simon across Egypt and needs his help. Deciding to try and avoid Jackie, Linnet and Simon book a cruise on the SS Karnak for themselves and their guests. However, they do not appear to be out of danger as during an excursion to Abu Simbel, Simon and Linnet narrowly miss a falling boulder that could have killed them. When they return to the Karnak, they discover that Jackie has boarded while they were away. Enraged, Linnet insists that she be thrown off the boat, but since she has a ticket she cannot. That night, Simon and Jackie get into a drunken argument ending with Jackie shooting Simon in the leg with a small pistol her keeps in her purse. Bouc grabs Dr. Windlesham and Mrs. Bowers. Dr. Windlesham tends to Simon's gunshot wound while Mrs. Bowers sedates the hysterical Jackie. The following morning, Louise discovers Linnet dead in her bed from a single small caliber bullet to the temple. Poirot suddenly finds himself with a new mystery at hand, all the more difficult because the two prime suspects both have air tight alibis for the time of death. 

The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh from a script by Michael Green based on the classic novel by Agatha Christie. Even more so that the previous film, this outing takes some liberties with the source material, including opening with a brand new scene that takes place during World War I that explains the origins of Poirot's distinctive and unique mustache (which has thankfully been reigned in a little bit this time around). They also bring back Bouc from the previous film and include his mother, neither of whom were in the original novel, with Bouc taking the place of Colonel Race from the novel and original film. Aside from those changes and a couple others I won't divulge because they would be spoilers, the film is largely a faithful adaptation of the novel. This one is a bit of a challenge to adapt as it has a lot more backstory to cover before we get into the main action. Still, Branagh and company manage to cover that quite well to keep the story compelling until we finally get to the actual mystery. The production design of the film is fantastic, especially the paddle steamer the bulk of the movie takes place on. It is suitably luxurious to befit someone as wealthy as Linnet yet close quarters and isolated enough to make for a compelling and at times tense mystery. While the vistas and sights of Egypt are a beautiful, some of the green screen work and CGI created sights of 1930s Egypt is unfortunately not as convincing as they would like at times and could be a bit distracting.  

The film boasts an impressive cast starting off with Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. He gives a very nuanced performance as Poirot reveals a bit more of his past as well as his personal anguish and regrets in a touching scene between him and Bouc. We see some new sides to Poirot in this one, especially as the stakes in solving the mystery rise, and Branagh plays it wonderfully. Gal Gadot does well as Linnet Ridgeway, managing to walk the tightrope with her character and making her character likable even though she stole her best friend's fiancé. A lot has been made online about her line about the ship having "enough Champagne to fill the Nile" as being a bit of bad acting but overall, I think she actually did well in the role. Sophie Okonedo is fantastic as Salome Otterbourne and impressed me from her first scene in the Jazz club, rocking a guitar no less (I checked, they actually did exist and were invented in 1932!). She is clearly having a lot of fun with her character and is one of the highlights of the movie. Letitia Wright has a few moments to shine as well as Rosalie, who is sharp as a tack when it comes to business and turns out to be an important resource not just for her aunt, but Linnet as well. Ali Fazal does well with his role as Andrew Katchadourian making the most of a tricky role. It's a joy to see Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French reunited and do quite well playing the far more serious roles of Marie Van Schuyler and Mrs. Bowers as opposed to their usual comedic shenanigans. The same can be said for Russell Brand, playing it straight as Dr. Windlesham and a far cry from his wilder, more goofball roles he's known for but he pulls it off quite well. Rose Leslie does her best with the rather underwritten role of Louise, Linnet's personal maid.

Overall, Death on the Nile is a solid follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express. Branagh expands on the character of Poirot in some very interesting ways without getting in the way of the narrative as a whole and even integrating it into the overall story to pay off quite well by the time we get to the end. It is a lavish production with a stellar cast that shines and manages to pack in a few surprises for such a famous and well known mystery. It may not quite have "enough champagne to fill the Nile," but I had a good time with it and I imagine anyone who enjoyed the previous film will as well. 

Death on the Nile (1978)

 

Coming four years after the star-studded 1974 film, Murder on the Orient Express, comes the equally star-studded Death on the Nile. It arrives with a change in actor for main character Hercule Poirot after Albert Finney, who already found the prosthetic makeup he wore in the previous film unbearable, imagined undergoing a similar process this time in the Egyptian desert would be even worse and politely declined the opportunity to return. Aside from that, this follow up follows a similar set-up with a group of colorful characters in an isolated location, swapping a train for a boat, and a murder to solve where everyone is a suspect. 

When Jackie de Bellefort (played by Mia Farrow) introduced her fiance Simon (played by Simon MacCorkindale) to her best friend Linnet (played by Lois Chiles), the last thing she expected was for the two of them to fall in love and get married soon after. They decide to honeymoon in Egypt after the wedding and are shocked to discover that jilted Jackie is following them and determined to disrupt their holiday. In an attempt to ditch her, Linnet and Simon board the paddle steamer SS Karnak that will be traveling along the Nile river. On board is an assortment of characters who also happen to have a connection to Linnet and Simon. There is Linnet's trustee, Andrew Pennington (played by George Kennedy), who needs Linnet to sign several documents he put together to try and cover up money he embezzled from her. There is renowned author Salome Otterbourne (played by Angela Lansbury), who is being sued by Linnet and traveling with her daughter Rosalie (played by Olivia Hussey), Elderly American socialite Mrs. van Schuyler (played by Bette Davis) and her companion Miss Bowers (played by Maggie Smith), who blames Linnet's father for financially ruining her own father. James Ferguson (played by Jim Finch) is an outspoken Communist who resents Linnet's wealth. Dr. Ludwig Bessner (played by Jack Warden) faces exposure from Linnet for his unorthodox practices with some of Linnet's friends who were patients. Also among them is acclaimed detective Hercule Poirot (played by Peter Ustinov), who is traveling with his friend Colonel Race (played by David Niven). When Linnet turns up dead with a single gunshot to the head, it falls to Poirot and Race to figure out who killed her, which proves to be a challenge when everyone else on board has a good motive.   

The film was directed by John Guillermin from a script by Anthony Shaffer from the classic Agatha Christie novel. This film, unlike it's predecessor, takes it's time setting up not only the main conflict between Jackie, Linnet, and Simon but also the other passengers as the narrative gets them all to Egypt and onto the river cruise. To their credit, they do manage to make the events compelling enough to hold the viewers attention until we finally get to the central mystery. Once we get into the central mystery, the film does throw in several twists to keep the audience guessing as well. The location shoots in Egypt are captured quite well with some fantastic cinematography from Jack Cardiff as they characters at various points visit the pyramids or other, similar locations as the threat to Linnet rises. The costume design throughout the film is also worth noting as it actually won an Academy Award for designer Anthony Powell, with outfits worn at various points by both Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury being distinct standouts. 

The filmmakers managed to assemble a great cast to bring their assortment of colorful characters to life. Peter Ustinov does great as Poirot, giving his character more warmth as he interacts with the other characters. Bette Davis is a natural fit for her role as the feisty Mrs. Van Schuyler who frequently trades barbs with her companion, Maggie Smith, making the two of them a joy to watch throughout the movie as they bicker like an old married couple. Angela Lansbury is likewise having a very good time playing the eccentric Salome Otterbourne. Jack Warden similarly lays it on thick as the controversial Dr. Ludwig Bessner with a thick accent and similarly amusing colorful flourishes. David Niven does well as Colonel Race and plays off Ustinov well as the two try to solve the mystery. Lois Chiles manages to keep Linnet sympathetic despite the fact that it would be easy for her character to be incredibly unlikable considering she steals her best friend's fiancé. Mia Farrow likewise is a good fit for the enraged Jackie, who is determined to ruin Simon and Linnet's honeymoon. Simon MacCorkindale lays on the charm as the attractive Simon and it is easy to see why Linnet would fall for him too.

Overall, Death on the Nile is a solid follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express. The opening of the film may drag for some but it manages to remain entertaining as it goes about setting up it's intricate backstory that leads to the central mystery. It's populated with a great cast that are clearly having a fun time playing their characters. The locations in Egypt are photographed wonderfully and captured with great 1930's style, matching the time period of the film. The primary setting on the paddle steamer is captured well and the filmmakers allow it to feel appropriately claustrophobic and isolated. This one is definitely well worth checking out, especially if you are a Poirot fan.