This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
If anything is clear from the recent string of adaptations from Agatha Christie’s famed mystery novels, it’s that Kenneth Branagh clear loves the source material. Now directing, producing and starring in his third adaptation of the Hercule Poirot-led novels, it’s obvious that each iteration improves upon something from the last. Murder on the Orient Express, while a fun and enjoyable mystery with great characters and a cool setting, suffered from serious pacing issues that worked at breakneck speed. Branagh’s follow up, last year’s Death on the Nile, dazzled me with practical visuals and an interesting mystery element, however the writing was really quite bad. Now, we get A Haunting in Venice, in which Branagh and co. seem to have fixed the issues that have plagued the previous two films and delivered on a really solid film that blends true horror elements with a murder mystery.
A Haunting in Venice, which is loosely based on Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party, sees Branagh back again as famed detective Hercule Poirot, now retired and spending his time in Venice. He gets an invite from an old friend and author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) to attend a seance at the home of Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly), a famed opera singer, in hopes of exposing the medium Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) as a fraud. However, when things go awry and someone is murdered, Poirot must come out of retirement and put his infamous skills to the test. However, not all is as it seems, and the supernatural are lurking about.
What really impressed me the most was how well the film blended traditional horror aspects and technical features into this sort of film. The focus, obviously, is on Poirot and his process for solving the murder, as is in the last two films. However, this film felt so fresh in that it took risks to look outside the box and deliver an interesting and unique murder mystery film. The film was genuinely scary at times, and for the most part delivered on heightening my anxiety and just generally feeling way creepier than I expected.
While not as star studded as past films, A Haunting in Venice impressed me with how invested I was in each character’s story and how much nuance came out of each actor’s performance. Tina Fey in particular delivered quite a surprise in the film, as I hadn’t really seen her in a purely dramatic role and she excelled. As for Branagh, this was his best performance as detective Hercule Poirot. The accent was toned back appropriately, and the performance felt much more genuine than in the previous two films. And he can still rock that iconic mustache.
This is largely credited to the massively improved writing and screenplay. Michael Green, who wrote the screenplay for the previous two films, massively stepped his game up here. Green, who wrote the screenplays for other acclaimed films like Logan, Blade Runner: 2049 and Alien: Covenant, seemed to be right in his wheelhouse with this film and it shows. Where the previous two films relied too heavily on exposition and overly fancy and unbelievable dialogue, this one felt more nuanced, with a show don’t tell attitude and dialogue that felt simpler. It worked tremendously in the film’s favor.
The true star of the show, however, is in the cinematography by Haris Zambarloukos. A frequent collaborator of Kenneth Branagh when he’s in the director’s chair, it was clear that their chemistry has really developed. Here, it’s on full display. The camera work is so good, in fact, that I think it should get a nomination at the next Academy Awards. From dizzying shaky cam moments and really interesting uses of techniques like snorricam, to intense, extreme closeups and long, isolated wide shots, Zambarloukos was able to give the film the sense of isolation and anxiety it needed to really work.
Zambarloukos is currently working on Beetlejuice 2, which – if this film is anything to go off of – has me really excited.
Yet still, the film is not without fault. I still believe it took too long to get things up off the ground and get to the actual murder mystery. Either they need to extend the film’s runtime or cut back on the setup because I wish we’d get more time seeing Poirot actually solve the mystery. A Haunting in Venice also spends a bit too much time and focus on the horror and supernatural, which takes away from the mystery elements but not by much. Luckily, the film is able to move between the two genres quickly so that one doesn’t totally get lost.
Final Thoughts
A Haunting in Venice is a really unique murder mystery film that brings fresh ideas to the table. We’ve seen a sort of resurgence of these films lately, which Rian Johnson’s own Knives Out mysteries joining the Poirot adaptations. Yet, it’s good to know that it’s not always going to be a cut and paste mystery with these films and they’re willing to take risks to make it work. If these types of movies are your thing, then I definitely think you’ll enjoy Branagh’s latest joint.
