I damned the last two Kenneth Branagh Poirot movies with faint praise, so I did not come into A Haunting in Venice with particularly high expectations. This time around, it seems like Branagh has been learning on the job, producing a more serviceable murder mystery without getting quite so carried away with exploring the deeper soul of the Belgian detective.
Poirot and his colossal moustache, which has completely recovered from the events of the previous movie, meets up with an old friend in Venice. She, a smarmy writer of murder mystery novels (Agatha Christie's self-parody), asks the detective to expose a medium in Venice on Halloween night. Poirot begrudgingly agrees, and sure enough his night is ruined by a murder to solve.
This works for the most part. Poirot feels more vulnerable this time around, and we feel his reasoning is in danger of slipping through his terrifying circumstances. The horror element also helps emphasise the claustrophobic nature of the setting, something strangely lacking from the previous movies with a strangely un-isolated train and pleasure boat.
Another problem that Venice solves is that it actually films on location in Venice. These stories function as cosy holidays for us to vicariously enjoy, so it is good to see the actors explore genuine Venetian tourist destinations and enjoy genuine scenery, at least for a short while before being bunged into a haunted house set (which itself is appropriately atmospheric).
The rest that I can say about Venice is that it is a functional, standard murder mystery that feels more like a big budget version of the 90s/00s David Suchet adaptations. It's something perhaps a little too modest for what Branagh sets out to achieve, but it is all I really want.
Branagh's Most Conventional yet Enjoyable Poirot
I damned the last two Kenneth Branagh Poirot movies with faint praise, so I did not come into A Haunting in Venice with particularly high expectations. This time around, it seems like Branagh has been learning on the job, producing a more serviceable murder mystery without getting quite so carried away with exploring the deeper soul of the Belgian detective.
Poirot and his colossal moustache, which has completely recovered from the events of the previous movie, meets up with an old friend in Venice. She, a smarmy writer of murder mystery novels (Agatha Christie's self-parody), asks the detective to expose a medium in Venice on Halloween night. Poirot begrudgingly agrees, and sure enough his night is ruined by a murder to solve.
A recurring problem with the previous films is that Branagh loves a good opportunity to chew up the scenery with heightened melodrama, over-dramatic biblical imagery, and swooping CGI spectacle, all of which is excessive for a cosy murder mystery format. This time around, Venice angles for horror, with a story set around a haunted gloomy mansion, a spooky séance, and a stormy night. There is more recognition of the fact that Poirot is, like the suspects, trapped in a house with a killer on the loose.
This works for the most part. Poirot feels more vulnerable this time around, and we feel his reasoning is in danger of slipping through his terrifying circumstances. The horror element also helps emphasise the claustrophobic nature of the setting, something strangely lacking from the previous movies with a strangely un-isolated train and pleasure boat.
Another problem that Venice solves is that it actually films on location in Venice. These stories function as cosy holidays for us to vicariously enjoy, so it is good to see the actors explore genuine Venetian tourist destinations and enjoy genuine scenery, at least for a short while before being bunged into a haunted house set (which itself is appropriately atmospheric).
The rest that I can say about Venice is that it is a functional, standard murder mystery that feels more like a big budget version of the 90s/00s David Suchet adaptations. It's something perhaps a little too modest for what Branagh sets out to achieve, but it is all I really want.