![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-1-691x1024.png\"){kind=spacer}
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFollowing 2017\u2019s \u201cMurder on the Orient Express,\u201d Kenneth Branagh is back as legendary Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. More importantly, Poirot\u2019s ridiculous mustache is back, complete with its own black-and-white origin story. It\u2019s almost, but not quite worth sitting through some lousy digital de-aging effects on Branagh to understand some of Poirot\u2019s motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bulk of the film takes place, in color, in 1937 Egypt. Poirot is on holiday when he spies old partner Bouc (Tom Bateman). Bouc introduces Poirot to his mother Euphemia (Annette Bening) and his recently-married friends Simon (Armie Hammer) and Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot). The Doyles request Poirot\u2019s help in ridding them of stalker Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), an obsessed former lover of Simon\u2019s. Poirot can\u2019t do much since Jackie hasn\u2019t committed any crime, but he does suggest that the couple sneak away in secret. Misinterpreting Poirot\u2019s advice, the Doyles rent out a huge ocean liner and take their circle of friends (including Poirot) on a cruise down the Nile where they figure Jackie can\u2019t follow them. Jackie boards the boat at the very next stop. Murder follows. Frustratingly, the prime suspect has an airtight alibi \u2013 they were being detained for shooting another passenger at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps it was another member of the party. There\u2019s Linnet\u2019s own jilted former lover Dr. Windlesham (Russell Brand, for once not looking like a pirate despite the movie largely taking place on a ship), her cousin and crooked estate manager Andrew (Ali Fazal), her Communist godmother Marie (Jennifer Saunders) and Marie\u2019s nurse Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), scheming maid Louise (Rose Leslie), school chum Rosalie (Letitia Wright), and Rosalie\u2019s singer aunt Salome (Sophie Okonedo). Complicating matters is that Rosalie and Salome have stolen Bouc and Poirot\u2019s respective hearts. Which isn\u2019t to say that Bouc and his mother are necessarily off the hook. Some expensive diamonds are missing, that alone could be the motive behind the murder, and absolutely everyone could use the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The movie meanders in its early stages, no doubt trying to spend as much time as possible with the full cast before someone has to be eliminated. But then we get to the really fun part \u2013 Poirot\u2019s fast-paced interrogations. It is here where we get the film\u2019s wittiest dialogue and best chemistry between actors. I\u2019ve heard it said that Hammer and Gadot have no chemistry as a couple, and I think that\u2019s a bit unfair, as public opinion of Hammer is very low right now due to accusations levelled against the actor, and I think people would be disgusted by him in any role, especially one as sensual as this. But it doesn\u2019t take a Poirot-level detective to see that the Simon\/Linnet marriage isn\u2019t destined to last \u2013 assuming they both live long enough to split up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Director-and-star Branagh is currently in Oscar contention for directing a semiautobiographical film called \u201cBelfast.\u201d It probably won\u2019t make enough money to warrant its own review, but if did, I would give it an A- and name it one of the top two or three films of 2021. I definitely recommend seeing it instead of \u201cDeath on the Nile\u201d if it\u2019s an option. This movie probably won\u2019t get nominated for any Oscars, but it at least manages to keep its head above water \u2013 the Nile, as it were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grade: B-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDeath on the Nile\u201d is rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and sexual material. Its running time is 127 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Bob Garver It is ironic that the #1 movie at the domestic box office on Valentine’s weekend would be one where all but one relationship ends badly. If… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":52274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[1088],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52273"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52275,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52273\/revisions\/52275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}