Based on my review of Murder on the Orient Express, I did not have fun watching it, but I did have fun writing about it. It arrived DOA with a sluggish pace and characters you never care about, let alone whodunnit. So I hoped that the sequel could make up for the first film’s failures. Low and behold, director/star Kenneth Branagh and writer Michael Green more than make up for their previous lackluster Agatha Christie adaptation with Death on the Nile. Packed to the brim with another all-star cast and exotic locale, Branagh makes you forget you ever packed your bags for the Express and whisks audiences away on a worthy mystery.
The mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is on vacation in Egypt, when he runs into his old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman). Bouc is also vacationing with his mother, Euphemia (Annette Bening), and convinces Poirot to join them for the wedding party of Simon (Armie Hammer) and Linnet (Gal Gadot). Poirot, Bouc and Euphemia are quickly joined by the rest of the guests — Louise (Rose Leslie), Katchadourian (Ali Fazal), Marie (Jennifer Saunders), Bowers (Dawn French), Windlesham (Russell Brand), and Rosalie and Salome Otterbourne (Letitia Wright and Sophie Okonedo) — where they head off on a private boat. Soon, the festivities are interrupted by Simon’s ex-fiance/Linnet’s former best friend, Jacqueline (Emma Mackey), leading to Linnet’s death, with Poirot once again drowning in suspects.
With a faster pace, more fully developed characters, and spectacular cinematography, Death on the Nile makes its case for a sequel that outdoes the original. Filmed in 65mm, it brings a scope not seen very often in these types of films and wins itself the old school approach Murder only dreamed about. And while it may take about an hour before foul play finally arrives, that leaves the next hour for Poirot to inspect his suspects. A case could be made for whether these types of films are still worthy of theatrical releases in the age of COVID, but for those looking to have some fun this weekend, it offers some much needed escapism. Considering Branagh and Green managed to up their game, let’s hope that if further Poirot adventures are on the horizon that the trend continues.
