Death on the Nile (2022) ***1/2

 

I won't claim to be the biggest Agatha Christie fan. Her detective stories are too old-fashioned and mannered for me. I prefer the Philip Marlowe style of detective, the guys who pound the pavement and get their asses kicked until the guilty parties tip their hands. Nonetheless, Christie's deductive geniuses do have a certain style. Of her works I have read, Murder on the Orient Express is the best, and rightfully her most famous. Death on the Nile would probably be runner-up. Both have been adapted to the screen more than once.

Kenneth Branagh's 2017 iteration of “Murder on the Orient Express” was a massive hit, bringing in over $350 million worldwide. Those are Marvel Comics numbers, and on a much lower budget, so it's no surprise that Branagh would get another shot at directing and playing detective Hercule Poirot. The story finds Poirot on holiday, exploring the cultural riches of Egypt. There, on a boat cruising the Nile, a love triangle turns violent, and Poirot is compelled to solve the case.

This is not the most memorable film, but it has its moments, and it is worthwhile popcorn entertainment. Screenwriter Michael Green deviates from the novel in the beginning, giving some Poirot back-story and using a jazz-age nightclub to establish the central love triangle much more succinctly than the novel does. The film is graced with an all-star cast, including Gal Godot and Emma Mackey as the former friends competing for the heart of Armie Hammer. The cinematography of the Egyptian ruins and countryside is gorgeous.

I don't know about you, but I have never witnessed or been present at a murder, and the same goes for most people I know. Hercule Poirot, however, keeps having murders occur around him, despite the fact that he is a famous detective. You would think that seeing Poirot on board a train or boat might stay a murderer's hand. At the very least, you might expect this propensity to affect Poirot's social popularity. As it goes, evildoers always try to outsmart the detective, and he remains the toast of society.

3.5 stars out of 5