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.