“Death on the Nile” (2022) is Kenneth Branagh’s second of three Hercule Poirot films and the second film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel with the same title. Set in 1937, Poirot claims to be on vacation, first in London then in Egypt, but he agrees to protect stunning heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), who has as many enemies as she does assets.
I am not into mysteries and had zero desire to ever see a single Poirot movie until now because Michelle Yeoh appears in “A Haunting in Venice” (2023), the third Poirot film. In preparation, I started by watching “Murder on the Orient Express,” which is allegedly a mostly faithful adaptation although Branagh’s take on Poirot is rumored to be a departure from Christie’s original. Afterwards I watched “Death on the Nile,” and it maybe my favorite of the three films despite its many flaws. The mystery is easy to solve. The identity of the first murder victim is predictable. The characters are tropes. The CGI is dreadful.
By committing to a single theme, the pitfalls of love, and not the identity of the murderer, it gives the characters more of an opportunity to show their personality and interact with each other. The first murder occurs after sixty-six minutes. Also “Death on the Nile” continues the routine and relationships initially featured in “Murder on the Orient Express” so it lulls the viewer into feeling as if certain characters are invulnerable. Some murders are shocking. The fight scenes are better, and it feels as if even Poirot could get it. This film gets viewers invested in the characters before offing them so it does not feel as if the murder and characters are just elaborate ruses so Poirot can show off his talents and take center stage.
“Death on the Nile” finally offers characters who challenge Poirot’s need to preen and be the smartest person in the room specifically Rosalie Otterbourne (Letitia Wright). She usurps Poirot’s role as the moral compass without being two-dimensional. Her aunt, Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, who feels as if she is paying homage to Angela Bassett) a blues singer and electric guitar player that feels like an allusion to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. They are also intriguing standalone characters. They get the best lines.
When Linnet starts losing her common sense, it is Rosie who snaps Linnet out of it; thus, proving to be a real friend and a genuine influence on a powerful person who does not have to listen to anyone and won’t if it does not make sense. While Rosalie is a friend, she and her aunt are employees who literally sing for their supper.
There is a pulpy love triangle that is so over the top, predictable and bad that it comes back around to being good again. Linnet, her childhood friend Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey, i.e., not Margot Robbie) and Simon Doyle (alleged aspiring cannibal Armie Hammer) spend the first third of the movie bumping and grinding on each other, the second third glaring at each other and the final third doing their best to not be accused of murder while oozing guilt from every pore.
While Gadot is gorgeous, her line delivery is stiff, and she is the least convincing one when boasting of her sexual conquests. Also, while Linnet is supposed to be hateful and regularly does unforgiveable things, Gadot delivers the lines as if she is genuinely kind. It feels as if Joan Collins is somewhere disappointed because Linnet is supposed to be a savvy businesswoman with an upbringing that encouraged barbaric business practices without mercy. There is one moment when Gadot gets the upper hand when engaging in PDA, and it is the only time that she seems to come alive. Branagh alludes to Gadot’s future role as Cleopatra in one outting.
Mackey commits to her role and is more dynamic like a sensuous, smoldering specter shamelessly wearing her desires on her sleeve. Alleged rapist Russell Brand is unrecognizable in a small role as an aristocratic doctor pining away for Linnet who never made the cut as a runner-up for a love triangle. Doctor has access to time travel because his self-talk is ripped straight from the self-help section of the twenty-first century. Ali Fazal, who is renowned for playing Abdul in “Victoria & Abdul” (2017), has a small role as Linnet’s financial manager and childhood friend. When protesting his innocence, he has the gun line equivalent to Crocodile Dundee’s iconic knife quip. “Game of Thrones” Rose Leslie may have beat Branagh in one key category: worst accent in “Death on the Nile.”
Another contributing factor to “Death on the Nile” being my favorite is Poirot spending most of the film as a spectator. When it is time for him to take center stage, his emotional response to the mystery feels more authentic than any of the other Poirot films. Branagh set the tone early at the beginning of the film.
From the opening flashback shot I black and white, Branagh decides to make a little dramatic World War I short that feels like an homage to Ingmar Bergman and provides insight into Poirot’s back story. The movie starts with the horror of impersonal war and death complete with a screeching crow before segueing to a scene that provides insight into Poirot’s backstory and signature look. It casts a mournful shadow over the entire film, and Branagh is wise to end with Poirot being vulnerable in the final scenes. 1937 is also the eve before World War II. While Branagh never explicitly portends World War II, it is impossible not to think of it. The bookends of “Death on the Nile” involve nightclubs in London. The film begins on a joyous raucous note and by the end, it is like a tomb. The implicit conclusion is that just as people tour the once great Egypt, London is not eternal and will be a past memory. The bombing and death of nightlife is coming.
If Branagh did not rely on CGI so much and had a bigger location budget, he would fit in with classic films that take place in exotic locations. Unlike the other Poirot films, the problematic nature of the location and time is less obvious. It helps that Branagh can draw from the Western fascination with Egypt since the eighteenth century, which contributes to the collective imagination of Egypt. It appeals to Egyptomaniacs.
Meanwhile the spectacle of wealth gives viewers a chance to live vicariously through the characters. “Death on the Nile” may make an unofficial perfect accompaniment to “Triangle of Sadness” (2022).
The servant choreography spectacle is at its zenith in “Death on the Nile.” When one body is taken out, a group of women wearing white shorts carry the covered body out on a stretcher as if they were pallbearers at a funeral. The servants leave at night to give the guests privacy, and a great sidequel would be to eavesdrop on them during their off hours. In the first installment, the servants were distinguishable individuals whereas this group is more robotic and uniform. There is a wealthy character who talks about workers’ revolution, but it is partially a cover for something equally daring.
“Death on the Nile” is the perfect movie to watch if you do not want a diversion or need to multitask with some background entertainment which does not require your complete attention.
