A Haunting In Venice 🕵️‍♂️ REVIEW:

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot investigates a murder while attending a Halloween seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy. Kenneth Branagh returns to direct and star as detective Hercule Poirot in the third installment in his whodunnit murder mystery series based on the Agatha Christie novels. As for the first two entries, I found Murder on the Orient Express to be quite an enjoyably twisty ride while Death on The Nile to be somewhat of a bloated disappointment that became lost in its grandiosity. By going for a more intimate setting in a palazzo in Venice and leaving behind the eye gouging over-stylization that plagued its predecessor, A Haunting In Venice sees Kenneth Branagh’s murder mystery series return to form in this darker more spooky outing. By keeping the story self contained and having the entire ordeal take place over the course of one night, A Haunting In Venice heavily benefits from a lean 103 minute duration with rarely any downtime once the inciting incident goes down.

At this point, it’s a given that Kenneth Branagh is simply delightful as detective Hercule Poirot and by incorporating supernatural elements in the story, we get to see Poirot’s beliefs get out to the test, which was really fun to see. Is there a logical explanation for the murders or is there a spiritual component that would challenge Poirot’s agnosticism? A nuanced approach that added new dimension to the Belgian detective. It’s no surprise that Branagh is in complete control behind the camera here. The film is beautifully photographed with gorgeous establishing shots of 1947 post war Venice and Branagh’s usual off kilter Dutch angles that breathe life into the German Expressionist aesthetic and atmosphere. Another thing that this film does better than the previous entries is making the supporting cast of potential suspects a lot more interesting and giving each individual character a believable motivation not only as to why they’re at this Halloween gathering, but also why they can possibly be the murderer.

Standing out amongst the ensemble has to be Tina Fey as novelist Ariadne Oliver who has made a living off of writing detective books inspired by Poirot’s cases. As Poirot bluntly states early on in the film that he “doesn’t have friends,” Ariadne is perhaps the closest thing to a friend he has. The chemistry between Branagh’s Poirot and Fey’s Oliver is superbly snappy, and feels completely organic, all while the two of them form a temporary alliance to find the culprit. The rest of the cast is almost as entertaining as Branagh and Fey, with Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Camile Cottin, Emma Laird, and Ali Khan all harboring sketchy character qualities, worthy of investigation. Even though her screen time is limited, Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh shines as famous spiritualist/self proclaimed psychic Mrs. Reynolds and she gets a couple of fairly creepy sequences early on in the film. Writer Michael Green’s screenplay has just the right amount of wit and humor to make up for any convoluted aspects regarding the actual mystery.

I would say this movie runs in to the same pitfalls of the previous entries where the climbing action and set up is far more intriguing than the payoff itself. The twists and Poirot’s third act explanatory breakdown of the killer’s motives and how they operated do work for the most part, despite some of the finite details being a bit muddled. Also, excellent score from Hildur Gudnadottir, who won an Oscar for her incredible work on 2019’s Joker. I really think that Kenneth Branagh should make as many of these murder mystery films as possible. In spite of the flaws I may have with these first three installments, Branagh is clearly trying to make good old fashioned entertainment that is completely devoid of any partisan agendas or divisive messaging. In the case of A Haunting In Venice, the British director succeeds. Overall, although it can’t escape some of the clichés and predictability of your average whodunnit thriller, A Haunting In Venice is arguably the most inventive outing in Branagh’s Agatha Christie series yet, one that adds a refreshingly creepy twist, capitalizes on its supporting cast, and solidifies Hercule Poirot as one of the most pleasantly entertaining roles of Kenneth Branagh’s career.