A Haunting in Venice- Movie Review

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY)

Kenneth Branagh’s third Agatha Christie venture is inspired by and loosely based on her 1969 novel “The Halowe’en Party.” Branagh reprises his role as the brilliant and famous detective Hercule Poiret. In 1947 Venice, Poirot is living in a gorgeous old apartment in seclusion, indulging in morning pastries and relishing his seclusion. Despite his desire to be left alone, he is hounded by fans that want him to take on their cases. His trusty and formidable bodyguard, Vitale Portfoglio (Riccardo Scarmarcio) isn’t opposed to pushing a pushy fan into a canal to protect his boss. When old friend and famed mystery writer, Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) comes to visit, Poirot relaxes his no visitors policy. Ariadne drags Poirot to a séance party at the house of Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly), a retired opera singer whose young daughter, Alicia (Rowan Robinson) died recently. Ms. Olive has had three flops in a row and desperately needs a new story for her next mystery novel. The medium in attendance is Joyce Reynolds, played deliciously by recent Oscar winner, Michelle Yeoh. The impressive ensemble also includes Jamie Dornan and famous French actress Camille Cotton

This is Branagh’s most successful Christie adaptation yet. Previous films have looked gorgeous and had the all-star casts, but they felt bloated; too long. Here the tension remains throughout. Aided by fantastic cinematography and an equally impressive production design, Branagh and crew successfully make the already mysterious city of Venice more cinematic.

Although the trope of trapped murder suspects in a house is familiar, the film manages to be engaging, with just the right amount of spookiness. Cannily shot with creepy close-ups and canted angles, the film creates an immersive sense of mystery, and of course everyone has something to hide. A Haunting in Venice may be old-fashioned entertainment, but it is done with incredible panache, proving that the genre has an audience in 2023.