Film review: Death on the Nile's Hercule Poirot a 'bombastic, egocentric little freak'

Death on the Nile is screening in cinemas now. Photo / Getty Images

Death on the Nile (M, 127 mins)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, played by Kenneth Branagh, is a quirky sleuth with a mysterious past, as those familiar with Poirots played earlier by Albert Finney, John Malkovich, David Suchet and Peter Ustinov will know.

In Death on the Nile, Poirot is more than an obsessive nitpicker with an outstanding eye for things that are unusual or out of place. This time, he reveals personal wounds, psychological and physical, becoming more complex and human than he was in previous versions, to the extent that audiences might even flinch in defence of him when a suspect under pressure accuses him of being "a bombastic, egocentric little freak".

Writing as Word War II loomed, Agatha Christie had good reason to want Death on the Nile to show how goodness triumphs over evil. Scriptwriter Michael Green conveys that message cleverly, by making the script less about story, more about character.

Few would fail to be won over to the good side when luscious heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) says in her softly accented sultry way: "Whenever you have money, no one is really your friend. I don't feel safe with any of them."

Linnet also has to contend with the resentful stalking of her former school friend Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey) when the chemistry between Linnet and Jacqui's by all accounts over-sexed fiance Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) takes control. Unable to turn her back on Simon when he and Linnet go from London to the Nile for their wedding, mercurial Jacqui invites herself to join them on the paddle steamer Karnak, exquisitely restored for the film.

On the Karnak, there's a murder, then another, then another. Every member of the refreshingly ethnically diverse group of glamorous wedding guests, young and older, comes under Poirot's spotlight, the original cast list having been suitably pared back by Branagh and Green.

Marie Van Schulyer (Jennifer Saunders), her roommate Bowers (Dawn French), Linnet's former suitor Dr Windlesham (Russell Brand) and wealthy painter Euphemia (Annette Bening) all take themselves very seriously indeed, while Euphemia's very intentional splashes of red carmine paint and her red nail varnish herald the blood splatters ahead.

The screams that follow the discovery of the first body send ripples through the expansive Nile scenery, captured splendidly by cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos.

Having tested themselves out with Murder on the Orient Express in 2017, the Branagh-Green-Zambarloukos team, with producer Ridley Scott, Death on the Nile is a better rendition, propelled along better, revelations handled better.

Death on the Nile is a wonderful recreation of upper-crust life in the 1930s, designed for the big screen. It's still an intriguing tale but it's the characters, script and camera work that make it a very good film indeed. Bonus marks for lighting, sets, costumes, soundtrack and dancing. Highly recommended.

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Giveaway

The first person to bring an image or hard copy of this review to Starlight Cinema Taupō will win a free ticket to Death on the Nile.