Where to watch Death on the Nile
3 Stars
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s 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 Egyptian 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.
Death on the Nile is Kenneth Branagh’s second outing as detective Hercule Poirot after the decent but flawed 2017 Murder on the Orient Express. As with Orient Express, Death on the Nile is an incredibly slow burn, especially in the first half. And yet again the ending is well worth the clock watching until something murdery actually happens.
If you’ve read the book or seen any of the other adaptations I’m not sure there’s anything new here, other than stunning production value both in the cast and locations. That being said, and as someone who knew the ending already, I still got my entertainment value out of watching.
During the opening act and beginning of the second, the film takes its time in setting up the characters and misdirection for the final act. The plot gets a bit lost here as we aren’t really fully aware of why we need to know the things we’re learning, and there’s so much nonsense that happens with the relationships between the characters some of it feels like dramatic time wasting noise. Only it isn’t. My best advice is pay attention. because once the killing starts the detecting begins.
The cast is great, Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot have nice chemistry as the good looking lovers. Branagh turns in another great performance as Poirot, adding depth to the character where needed. Russell Brand plays a non-comedic part which is a little odd as I can only recall ever seeing him in a comedic role. I’m awaiting his comedy special where he dishes the dirt on what an a**hole Branagh is, and how Brand almost bed Gal Gadot. I kid, I kid. He and the rest of the supporting cast fill out the movie nicely though, making this film feel very lived in and real.
So in the end, the film has a very slow start, but once you hit that midway point the energy changes for the better and I was left rather satisfied both in the quality of the setup, and the twists and the turns. I do hope Branagh will continue on with other Poirot movies.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Written by: Michael Green, Agatha Christie
Starring: Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Kenneth Branagh, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand