Whatever your opinion of Kenneth Branagh's version of Hercule Poirot, 'A Haunting in Venice' has certainly piqued the interest of many film lovers. But will the final result please your little grey cells…
Whatever your opinion of Kenneth Branagh's version of Hercule Poirot, 'A Haunting in Venice' has certainly piqued the interest of many film lovers. A little-known investigation with horror elements? Sign us up! But will the final result please your little grey cells…
Brief Synopsis
World-renowned private detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) retires and enjoys the beauty and tranquility of the Venetian streets. However, everything changes when an old friend, popular writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), appears at his doorstep.
Ariadne invites Poirot to participate in an unusual séance, the secret of which she alone could not unravel. Perhaps even our genius detective will be stumped. Can Poirot expose the medium, or will he himself believe in supernatural forces? Do ghosts really exist in Venice?
The Kenneth Branagh Phenomenon
To understand what went wrong and when, you need to know what Sir Kenneth Branagh is like as a director. Because as an actor, we know and love him well.
The thing is, Sir Kenneth is very comfortable in the context of bright, over-the-top films. The only decent live-action Disney remake, 'Cinderella' (2015), was directed by him. The first 'Thor' is also his work.
What conclusion can we draw? That even if his films aren't great, they at least excel at entertaining the audience. The closest equivalent I can think of is a Brazilian carnival. Feathers, sparkles, everything beautiful, everything in motion.
And the first two films ('Murder on the Orient Express' and 'Death on the Nile') could boast primarily of that. They were flashy and memorable, dynamic and colorful. That's something you can't take away from Branagh.
The Horror of 'A Haunting in Venice'
However, 'A Haunting in Venice' took a different path. Branagh decided to pull off a real scam and set a completely different mood for his new film. No, Poirot still walks around with a meaningful look and gathers clues. But the very limited interiors of an old gloomy mansion and the theme itself are completely at odds with what we're used to.
Unfortunately, it is precisely the new setting and new atmosphere that completely fall flat in this adaptation of Agatha Christie. The horror is purely nominal, the balance between Poirot's pragmatism and the overall mysticism is severely lacking, and the limited sets don't allow for much expansion.
How does all this affect the viewer's experience? It simply becomes boring. Because there are at least no stunning shots like the previous films had, with the camera gliding over snowy plains or Egyptian landscapes. In 'A Haunting in Venice', we get uninteresting walks through uninteresting rooms among uninteresting characters. Even Branagh's charisma isn't enough to diversify these endless walks.
Alas, to make such a story engaging, you need certain skills that run counter to Branagh's strengths. So it turns out that the scares don't scare, the investigation doesn't captivate, and the claustrophobia becomes tiresome.
Not Without Its Pluses
The relative obscurity of Agatha Christie's novel 'Hallowe'en Party' adds points to its adaptation, as many will go into it 'blind'. It also helps that the material has undergone many changes (I'd say radical changes). Though I should note that for many, this might be a downside.
Still, this work cannot be called a complete failure. I'll even go further and say that if the kitschiness of Branagh's style bothered you in previous installments, 'A Haunting in Venice' might appeal to you more than 'Orient Express' and 'Nile'.
Plus, another distinctive feature of the new Poirot films is present here and hits the mark perfectly: the stellar cast. Even if the characters themselves are written very blandly and clumsily, the way they are performed…
I especially want to highlight the wonderful Michelle Yeoh and praise Kelly Reilly. And Sir Kenneth is still undeniably very good.
Marginal notes: you can really see how much Branagh loves himself in this film!
Conclusion
The creators of 'A Haunting in Venice' once again faced the same difficult task as before: to make a film that would differ from previous adaptations. I'm willing to bet that for most readers, the favorite Poirot is the incomparable David Suchet (mine too, by the way).
But surprisingly, Branagh doesn't completely fail this task. Thanks to the acting and the unusual atmosphere, 'A Haunting in Venice' may appeal to many.
Although personally, I regret that there clearly wasn't enough of Sir Kenneth's signature style here.
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