Death on the Nile

I enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's version of Murder on the Orient Express so I was excited when I found out he was adapting Death on the Nile next.  It seems like I have been waiting forever to see it and I finally had the chance last night.  Like the first movie, it is stylish and entertaining with a bit of added poignancy.  Heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) is on her honeymoon with her new husband Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) in Egypt but Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), her former friend and Simon's former fiancee, pursues them wherever they go.  To escape her, they spontaneously decide to take the wedding party on a river cruise of the Nile.  Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is also vacationing in Egypt when he runs into his old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) and his mother Euphemia (Annette Bening), who are part of the wedding party, and they invite him along.  When Jackie boards the cruise during a stopover at Abu Simbel, Linnet confesses to Poirot that she fears for her safety.  However, it seems that everyone on board has a grudge against Linnet: her longtime maid Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie), her former fiance Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand), her cousin and lawyer Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Fazal), her godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), Van Schuyler's nurse and companion Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), her former classmate Rosalie Otterbourne (Letitia Wright), and Rosalie's aunt Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okenedo).  When Linnet is found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, it is up to Poirot to solve the murder.  As with the previous movie I really enjoyed the all-star cast, particularly Mackey, who all have a moment to shine as they are interrogated one by one.  I also enjoyed Branagh's portrayal of the famous Belgian sleuth because he expands on Poirot's backstory in a compelling prequel about a doomed relationship with a woman named Katherine (Susannah Fielding), a theme hinted at in the first movie, as motivation for his actions.  I think his performance in this movie is more nuanced and less affected.  However, while I loved the glamorous costumes and opulent production design, the sub-par visual effects are very distracting because it is glaringly obvious that this was filmed on a set with green screens.  There are also some pacing issues because it takes much too long to establish all of the characters and relationships before the murder happens and the resolution feels rushed as a result.  Finally, I found the suggestive dance sequence between Simon and Jackie to be very uncomfortable in light of what we know about Hammer's personal life.  This movie is not without its faults but I had a great time watching it as a bit of escapist fun and I recommend it to those who enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express.

Note:  My family had VHS copies of Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), and Evil Under the Sun (1982).  I often binge-watched them together when I was a teenager so I am hoping that Branagh adapts Evil Under the Sun next so that I can recreate that experience!