Death on the Nile (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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© 20th Century Studios
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Written by: Michael Green
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright
Runtime: 127 min
Synopsis: Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's (Kenneth Branagh) Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers, and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.
© 20th Century Studios
Any movie with a central mystery has the "advantage" of getting my immediate attention. While it's true that it's unfair and oversimplistic to judge a work of this type solely by the possibility of the viewers deciphering the crime before the main character himself, this is also the most captivating storytelling element. "Who committed the murder?" is the question every audience member eagerly wants to know the answer to, so it's only natural that this narrative component has a more significant weight on the overall enjoyment of the film. However, saving this point for last, Death on the Nile is more than just a mere mystery, just like its predecessor.
Cinematic adaptations from books, especially from well-known authors/works, aren't an easy task for any filmmaker. I hold no knowledge about Agatha Christie's original source material, but after Branagh's most recent attempts (Murder on the Orient Express), either the author's stories are best told in the books, or it has been too long for them to continue to carry any impact. Both the 2017 movie and Death on the Nile bring to the big screen the various storylines associated with each character/suspect, which always leads to a tricky balance concerning the screen time allocated to each individual arc.
Sadly, Death on the Nile retains the problems of the first film. Truly interesting narratives or characters aren't easily found. Even the cast filled with familiar faces delivers underwhelming performances based on what they've done before. Obviously, when the screenplay is loaded with clichés, monotonous and repetitive dialogues, and so many other "amateur" lines, it becomes almost impossible for actors to do better with such a poor script. The exception is, of course, Branagh himself as Poirot. The actor manages, at a late stage in his career, to add yet another iconic role to his credits.
© 20th Century Studios
Regarding the rest of the cast, Emma Mackey (Sex Education) demonstrates (immense) talent but uses her extreme expressiveness too much. Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman 1984) has good moments but continues to struggle to deliver an excellent role outside the world of superheroes. Annette Bening (Captain Marvel) may have a lot of experience, but the actress still offers her worst performance in a long, long time - the gasps during Poirot's final reveal are incidentally hilarious. Ali Fazal (House Arrest) doesn't do any better either. On the other hand, Tom Bateman (Cold Pursuit), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), and Sophie Okonedo (Hellboy) deliver pleasant performances. I avoid commenting on Armie Hammer (Rebecca) due to the controversies involving him.
When it comes to the arcs and motivations of each character, some are easily forgotten, others receive, in fact, an intriguing development and consequent revelations. The main problem lies in the exposition-heavy screenplay. After a certain moment, it becomes extremely rare to find a dialogue that feels spontaneous or natural rather than a forced conversation with the sole purpose of informing the audience. Watching Poirot reveal his conclusions through Branagh's rapid-fire speech has its decent share of entertainment, but it doesn't last an entire movie. And, in the end, we return to the starting point of this article…
For the sake of a clear message, I'll repeat: "assessing" a classic and old-fashioned whodunnit just because the central mystery is surprising or not is quite reductive of what a cinematographic work consists of. That said, it's pretty disappointing that the first idea that comes to mind - still in the first act - is precisely the final solution to the case. Even the shocking moment beyond Poirot's vital revelation becomes expected long before it happens. The question arises: is this evident predictability the result of the exponential consumption of this type of content over the years, or does the original story simply not translate well to the big screen?
One last note for the visuals. I don't know how the audience will react, but the green screen spread throughout the whole runtime creates such a falsehood that it's hard for anyone to get lost in that same fictional world. Although the boat was actually recreated and built, the vast majority of scenes possess an annoyingly digitalized, noticeable background. The "beautiful landscapes" that surround dialogues filmed simply with a character highlighted in a close-up are nothing more than pure visual rubbish. In plain 2022, a movie with millions of budget practically hitting the triple digits can't film "on location".
© 20th Century Studios
Final Thoughts
Death on the Nile retains the problems of its predecessor, containing an even less mysterious central mystery and even less interesting multiple storylines. Kenneth Branagh is the great savior, offering a distinctive directing style and an iconic performance as Hercule Poirot. Despite some good displays and a couple of pleasant arcs, Michael Green's screenplay relies too much on its heavy exposition, not managing to escape the forced, dull, redundant dialogues. The audiovisual environment surrounding the entire film reeks of digital deception, sweating its green screen throughout the runtime. A whodunnit is worth more than merely finding the criminal, but the resolution literally being the first option that the first act suggests leaves an inevitable taste of disappointment.
