Death On The Nile (2022) Dir: Kenneth Branagh
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Having rewatched the 2017 murder mystery that preceeded this, I was eager to to watch this 2022 sequel, based on another of Agatha Christie's classic murder mysteries.
Kenneth Branagh returns to direct once more, which helps keep a familiar tone between the two stories, through his directorial style. Visually, this film had moments of decent cinematography, although this is hampered by some weak CGI.
However, for the most part, this is not obvious unless you're actively looking for it. I will say that I found this story quite predictable at points, though there was still plenty of mystery to be had. The film dragged a tad, a runtime of 2 hours and 7 minutes being perhaps to blame for this.
Kenneth Branagh one again plays the iconic Poirot, providing a similar performance as before, in that it was pretty strong throughout. His accent and character work was quite consistent - I must say I rather enjoy him as the famous detective.
Gal Gadot is the film's big star, but, unfortunately, I found her to be a little forgettable, especially in comparison to some of her co-stars. That said, she didn't act poorly by any means, she just didn't provide enough for her character to stay with me.
The best performance of the film can only belong to Emma Mackey, of 'Sex Education' fame. She shows the immense talent that has made her so popular in that aforementioned Netflix series, particularly in presenting her character's intriguing and unpredictable persona. I thoroughly enjoyed her work here, and I'm glad to see her getting feature film roles.
I will also mention Russell Brand, Annette Bening, Letitia Wright and Tom Bateman, who were standouts from the rest of the supporting cast.
Overall, this was another solid enough murder mystery, however, it lacks the genuine intrigue and believability of the film's predecessor. I felt the story was weaker here, which made for a far less enjoyable experience by comparison. That said, I would still say this is watchable, and, more importantly, enjoyable, in spite of its drawbacks.
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