From the visionary director of “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on The Nile” comes the next installment in Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded enclave of murder mystery thrillers, “A Haunting in Venice,” released Sept. 15. The world-renowned Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, played by Branagh himself, follows the death of a haunted young woman and the mysterious, almost supernatural circumstances behind it. As the truth behind her personal relationships unfold, more and more secrets are laid bare. Fortunately for the supporting cast, Hercule Poirot is on the case.
The movie opens with the daily life of Poirot, moving through the motions of a retired life. This consistent pace in his isolation comes to a halt through the introduction of Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey). She gives him information on a séance which is being held for the supposed suicide of Alicia Drake. This leads him and Ms. Oliver to the haunted house held responsible for Alicia’s demise, filled with spirits said to have driven the girl to her end. Interrogations are made, connections are traced and all eventually lead to the pivotal moment of reveal, which is done expertly in construction.
The plot of this film is executed well on all accounts, as it keeps a great pace throughout its hour and 43 minute runtime and never sacrifices character consistency to keep moving. The cast provides all of the narrative thrust to keep this thriller going. Kelly Reilly stands as a great example with her role as Rowena Drake. In terms of her character’s choices — on top of her standout performance where her desperation and caring nature clashes — she always delivers in moving the plot forward.
The cinematography fires on all cylinders, delivering an excellent composition of shots and angles that bring out the character’s expressions and inner feelings quite well. Certain shots look down on characters at a close distance to emphasize feelings of uncertainty within the audience, promoting the aura of mystery around the film’s plot remarkably well. Other notable shots include match cuts — quick shots to other scenes in order to transfer important pieces of information — which help the audience to remember case evidence that will come into play in a vital way.
“A Haunting in Venice” displays a great understanding of character depth through the writing of the main protagonist, Hercule Poirot. Accompanied by Branagh’s amazing performance, the detective’s struggle in defining what is real can truly be felt by the audience. Poirot, living a life full of death and sorrow, holds no belief for any spirits of any kind because of his loss of faith, driving him to disprove any sort of action or notion that spirits could possibly exist.
However, over the course of the film, Poirot begins to question everything he knows about life and its inner workings, seeing visions and hallucinations of people and things whose existence is left ambiguous until the end of the film. He demonstrates newfound mental vulnerability with every lone minute he endures. We see how Poirot operates when he is faced with a question he potentially cannot solve, an absolutely frightening thought for the veteran detective. He is pushed to a breaking point many times, yet inevitably returns again to discover the truth, overcoming his fear of the unknown. It is a very well-done mental breakdown and rediscovery of Poirot and demonstrates a level of solid writing ability on the part of Michael Green, the head screenwriter for the film.
Thematically, the movie explores the concepts of death and spirituality quite often. Many different characters hold different perspectives on the afterlife, which is shown through the exchange in war experience between Poirot and Dr. Leslie Ferrier, who is portrayed in an absolutely gripping performance by Jaime Dorman.
As far as a message, the actions of the characters in the film demonstrate the most supported interpretation — that exerting ultimate control on an individual will lead to drastic consequences.
Alongside Branagh’s performance as Poirot, Fey delivers an excellent performance of her own as Ariadne Oliver. Other renowned roles include that of Camille Cottin’s role as Olga Seminoff and Michelle Yeoh’s role as Mrs. Reynolds. Yeoh plays her part exceptionally, delivering an aura of mystery to her character that compliments the genre to the fullest extent. It is safe to say that Branagh and Green display the workings of a dynamic duo in the production of this film, making “A Haunting in Venice” a definitive recommendation for those who love a good murder mystery.
