Death on the Nile (2022)

I just got out of Death on The Nile

I don't know if was my screening but the audio was awful, with an echo effect.

I thought It was ok, It doesn't have the star power of the first movie, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are no Michelle Pfeiffer and Dame Judy Dench!! Armie Hammer has a big role so the ick factor is unfortunately there a lot. All the performances are fine, but sadly I figured it out pretty early on.

Fmovies: By comparison, this is multiple levels below recent mainstream mysteries Knives Out and Murder on the Orient Express. The mystery has some intrigue but not much. The pacing is off and it takes a while (over an hour) before the mystery actually begins. I'm not a fan of the tone or the music. The actors are frequently over-the-top, sometimes reaching cartoonish territory.

Overall, this movie is not put together very well. And I found it only mildly entertaining when I wasn't bored. (1 viewing, 2/14/2022)

"The crime is murder. The murderer is one of you. I have investigated many crimes, but this has altered the shape of my soul. I am detective Hercule Poirot, and I will deliver your killer." Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh)

In the newest Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot mystery, Death on the Nile, Poirot is about as serious as mystery fiction would allow, and certainly the obsessive Poirot would allow. Because one of the murder victims means much to him, and because he is smitten by jazz singer Salome (Sophie Okonedo), Poirot is a full-bodied detective sharing some of our humanity and bringing a sympathy without witty accusations.

The location in an elegant paddle boat on the Nile and remarkable gigantic effigies of Ramses and the Sphinx lends a historicity to the proceedings while the icons tie vacationers to our sometimes-wicked natures. The new Queen of the Nile, Linette (Gal Godot), is grandly wealthy, gorgeous, and like the rest of us, vulnerable. Her new husband, Simon (Armie Hammer), is attentive but does not match her wealth, yet matches her gorgeous looks.

The rest of the cast is appropriately good looking and fit for suspicion, each with his/her reason to off the new bride. They may be the least intricate and magical of the suspects in this sub-genre, if only because Christie, director Branagh, and writer Michel Green are careful not to give much away while they develop characters real and weak, rightfully suspect as we all might be in similar circumstances.

The operative motif is love-mainly what we do for it, sometimes murder. This notion of potential mayhem in the wake of passion is well-chosen, for without its heat the mystery is just a lazy day down the river. It's not that but rather is a treatise on the conjunction of love and sin, real or metaphorical. What we do for love, how we live without it, even Poirot, is the subject of Death on the Nile, gently woven into a seemingly light murder mystery. It is after all about "death."

"The romance of the desert has the power to seduce. I ask you: have you ever loved so much, been so possessed by jealousy, that you might kill?" Poirot.

Death on the Nile fmovies. Greetings again from the darkness. For us Agatha Christie fans, a certain amount of trepidation exists every time a new movie or TV version of her work hits. Stress level was reduced a bit this time since director-actor Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green are back following their collaboration on Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017). Although the star power this time isn't quite at the level of 'Orient', it seems Mr. Branagh has grown quite fond and confident of his own Hercule Poirot, the Belgian super-sleuth.

Director Branagh takes an unusual approach with a black and white Prologue from 1914 as a young Poirot shows flashes of his intellect as a soldier in WWI. The real purpose of this segment is to show Poirot was once a young man in love, and then a wounded soldier in love, and then a broken-hearted wounded man who would go on to become the world's greatest detective. The prologue also provides backstory on the infamous mustache that is so much a part of Poirot.

We then flash forward to a 1937 London speakeasy where a fastidious Poirot fusses over dessert while watching the formation of a shaky love triangle unfold on the dance floor as Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, with singing vocals from Sister Rosetta Tharpe) belts out her bluesy tunes on stage. Initially it's Jacqueline de Bellefort (relative newcomer Emma Mackey) in the throes of lustful dance moves with her fiancé Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer in the last gasp of a once skyrocketing career). Things change quickly when Jacqui's former schoolmate, Linnete Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), makes her show-stopping appearance in a glittery metallic gown. Flash forward again, this time 6 weeks, and its Linnete and Simon tying the knot at the picturesque Cataract Hotel in Aswan on the River Nile. See, Linnete is an heiress to her less-than-scrupulous father's fortune, and Simon had no trouble trading up. Jacqui, on the other hand, doesn't take it so well.

Of course the fun part of Agatha Christie's murder mysteries involves getting to know the players and watching as the clues reveal themselves, and then how Poirot handles the big reveal. This film's only real weakness is the character development of everyone not named Hercule Poirot. We only skim the surface of Euphemia Buoc (Annette Bening) as Buoc's (a returning Tom Bateman) disapproving mother, Dr. Windlesham (an unusually reserved Russell Brand), Linnete's chambermaid Louise (Rose Leslie), Linette's Godmother and her "nurse" (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, respectively), family attorney Andrew (Ali Fazal), and Salome's niece and manager, Rosalie (Letitia Wright), the proverbial sharpest knife in the drawer.

So what do we get? Well, first and foremost, a fully formed Poirot. Branagh seems to have embraced the character and the mustache, having a blast with his scenes. We also get stunning work from cinematographer Harris Zambarloukos, as he films the beautiful people, the beautiful wardrobes, and such sites as the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Ramses statues of Abu Simbel, and the excellent set piece known as the Karnak luxury steamer. There are some metaphorical effects inserted that periodically startle us, and seem unnecessary, but then over-the-top moments are not unusual in film presentations of Christie's writing. She passed away in 1976, and now there are almost 200 film and TV projects associated with her work.

Love and betrayal are key elements here, and for fans of the original book a

First off, great cast and amazing acting, the leads had chemistry and the emotions felt authentic. However, the score and cinematography were mediocre borderline poor. It was painfully obvious that every set was green screen. The score left too many dead moments. Also, what was with that very weird Gadot as Cleopatra moment?!

I am the first to tell anyone: watch the original version. Most of the times it is better anyway - but even if not, watching the original after you've seen the remake might have already spoiled things for you. Now when I say Original in this case, I am talking about the movie with Peter Ustinov as Poirot and not the version that was made for TV (which I have not watched yet).

Ustinov was a great Poirot - but Branagh really excels and relishes in this role too. He captures the essence of that weird character and seems really fond of him - making movies worth your while. And in this case a coherent one at that.

Not only do we get a visual upgrade (there are some very stunning scenes in this, which would make great postcards), but we get a theme: love. Now I have not read the novel, so I don't know what this movie leaves out - or what it depicts better or worse than the Ustinov version. What I do know is, that while both versions have the same conclusion, there are enough differences to make anyone watching be thoroughly interested to say the least.

The cast cannot be compared to the original movie (as in the original had way more heavyweights than this has), but even someone like Gal Gadot is able to convince. Although to be fair, she mostly has to look good. She does have an emotional encounter with Branagh - I am assuming she draws from personal experience and stardom/fame - the way she plays that.

There is also a bit of greater emotional attachment and grip on Poirot. As viewers we are as close to him as possible. Some of the other characters are therefor not as richly painted as in the original. But the core is stronger - and the emotional impact ... especially towards the end and if you invested yourself in Poirot ... is quite amazing to say the least.

Very well done - and it shows that Branagh takes these adaptations seriously. Which should leave you satisfied as a viewer. Unless you are hung up in the past ... which if you see this movie, might find ironic ... and even worth a pun.