Death on the Nile Review – Is it a Strong Sequel?
“You shouldn’t expect the same kind of thing that Murder gave you…”
The release of Murder on the Orient Express in 2017 introduced a new generation to the spine-tingling murder mystery theme of Agatha Christie’s work centering on detective Hercule Poirot. Now, with Death on the Nile we watch as the Christie-verse (or Agathaverse? I’m sure one will catch on) expands and the classic stories continue to become more cinematic.
So, where does Death on the Nile take us? Sometime after the events of Murder, our Belgian detective’s time in Egypt leads him to being invited to the wedding party of the recently and prematurely married Mr and Mrs Simon Doyle. With all guests having some sort of murky past with at least one of the newlyweds, suspicion is afoot. Before long there is a corpse, leaving Poirot to uncover who is responsible.
Kenneth Branagh returns for another round as director/lead actor of the piece. Truth be told, we’re thankful he did. Branagh’s portrayal as Poirot is better than ever. After our last outing, we now get to enjoy his quirkiness, obsessiveness and way of interacting after adjusting previously. This time we even get a more emotional layer to the character than ever before. Something that was omitted in the original works. For the sake of a modern film series, this is something that has us connecting more with the character.
As with Murder, the ensemble cast is not to be sniffed at. We get an extensive cast list with household names such as Annette Bening and Gal Gadot. These established names mix with new stars of today like Sex Education‘s Emma Mackey and Black Panther‘s Letitia Wright. We even get an unexpected addition of Russell Brand who surprisingly fits in well with the more serious tone of the story. It’s also a nice wink to lovers of British comedy for Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French to be feature as a duo, again in a more dramatic sense than we’re used to.
All in all, each star brings their own flair to the film. We also can’t be forgetting Tom Bateman’s Bouc, who was one of the more enjoyable characters of the previous film. You’ll be happy to know he gets to do more in this outing. The only real cringe of the whole cast is some of the accent issues. It would have done a lot more good than harm to have Bening and Saunders swap characters. As the former adopts a British accent and the latter an American one, you can’t help but notice how these slip throughout the runtime. It does become a bit wince-y i’m afraid.
The plot of course adapts the novel of the same name, thrusting it forward into 2022 filmmaking to give it a slightly easier and more compelling narrative. As already mentioned, in this current age of fandom the film needed to effectively connect to the previous film to create a through-line. It does so in revealing more on Poirot’s backstory. This fits nicely with the plot of the film funnily enough, and again it gives our lead character more dimensions. One addition to this plot is also the higher levels of shocks and twists than that of the last. Also the extra blood shed I might add. There are genuine surprises and also some heartache depending on how much you like certain characters.
One thing that maybe should have been copied from the first instalment is the time between the film’s beginning and the initial murder that kicks off the main story. Yes, we’re living in the world of the characters to get a hold on who may be the eventual culprit. But, the film is called “Death on the Nile”. Let’s make sure that death happens in the first act and is what drives everything forward from there.
You would also think that with so much time watching our characters basking in the sights of Egypt, we would be able to pick up quite easily on everyone’s connection to each other. Sadly, not as easy as you’d think unfortunately. We get a very rushed exposition speech as Bouc explains to Poirot who everyone is. From there, you’re left to try and pick up all of the threads yourself. There should really be a disclaimer before Bouc begins his speech, reading “LISTEN BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE”. However, it’s fair to say that the cast members who are most important, you learn about more effectively.
Then there’s the reveal of the murderer. DON’T WORRY, WE’RE NOT GOING TO SPILL. However, I would warn that the culprit is more predictable than you’d expect. Yes, it is echoing from the original novel, but in the modern age of storytelling, it might have been more enjoyable to twist things for a smarter and more intriguing outcome. Does it still land well? Yes, no doubt. But, chances are if you’re thought really hard into who it could be, you may not be satisfied.
RELATED ARTICLE: HOUSE OF GUCCI REVIEW
From a directing perspective, Branagh does attempt to keep the same feel of the previous film whilst giving us the more exotic and sunburnt landscape. Without question, the costuming and the majority of the set pieces are excellent, and you almost feel the humidity just watching it. There is also a really fun use of camera and angling which ties into how the scheme of the film’s culprit plays out. All we’ll say is keep an eye on those long tracking shots. There’s also that really simple effect of using black and white to signify previous events. As with Murder, this film uses the effect when Poirot is revealing each character’s movements in the past during or connecting to the wrongdoings. It’s also used to show a part of Poirot’s life which is unexpected. It’s a really great touch.
The only downfall from behind the scenes when it comes to the technical side is the green screening. For example, if you are impressed by the backdrops of Egypt when Poirot and Bouc first meet up in the film, then shame on you. Extremely shabby and almost takes way attention from what is going on in the scene. A small fault but also something that should really be taken care of with a film of this calibre.
When stepping back and looking at the film, it in itself helps to build on the expectations from the previous outing. This is done whilst upping the stakes and also expanding on the character of Poirot. Gone is the detective shrouded in mystery and anonymity, and arrives is a new take that takes the character into an interesting terrain. If you look between the lines, the film’s final scene also has so many ways to be read into. It’s great for fans of both the films also Agatha Christie’s original stories.
Overall, this is a sequel that is worth a watch. As much as Branagh gives somewhat the same feel, you shouldn’t expect the same kind of thing that Murder gave you. But, sit comfortably as you’re taken on a different turn down mystery road. There’s some snags from behind the scenes and it’s quite some time before the murder mystery setting makes itself known, but you do get to enjoy an impressive host of actors doing what they do best and when our initial murder takes place…it’s all steam ahead from there as we are thrown into suspicious looks, blood spattered walls and some surprising, actually really sad twists.
It’s got to be a 7.9/10 from us. Would watch again, but not as immediately as I’d want to to watch it’s predecessor.
Death on the Nile is currently showing in cinemas. Murder on the Orient Express is also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray.