Death on the Nile (2022) User Reviews

A good book somewhat mangled by a mediocre adaptation

[blott2319-1 · 6/10 · 28 February 2022]

I love Agatha Christie novels and want so badly to enjoy big screen interpretations of her stories. I think her writing is what makes Death on the Nile work better than it would otherwise. It's a solid mystery that has plenty of good twists and turns because there are multiple layers of mystery beyond just the murders. Thankfully, it has been long enough since I read the book so I didn't totally remember the actual solution to the whodunit. However, I figured things out relatively early because Branagh struggles to deliver these type of mysteries with any subtlety, and that's a shame. You'd think it would be obvious that you don't want someone almost literally shouting "Pay attention, this is a clue!" but that's what we have here. Also, while I said I guessed the truth early, I just mean early in relation to when the first murder occurred. Because it takes almost half the runtime for things to truly get going.

Some of the character work in Death on the Nile was solid, and I appreciated seeing a couple people play against type. They take a lot of time to establish the relationships between all these characters which I would ordinarily appreciate. It's too bad Branagh (or the studio) thought we were too dumb to follow all the groundwork they were laying out, so they literally had a character painstakingly explain to Poirot everything all over again. He might as well have broken the fourth wall and just spoken straight to the audience since it's so clearly all for our benefit. The ending was also corny and handled poorly, plus some of the green-screen of Nile scenery in the background was horribly shoddy. All that being said, I still appreciated aspects of Death on the Nile. It's a genre I love, written by an author I love, and starring a detective I love. Considering all that, it's no wonder I managed to have a good time with a film that really isn't put together all that well.

Unnecessary changes

[omarmazin · 6/10 · 22 February 2023]

The book is simple. The book is not a long book just short of a 300 pages, so why the unnecessary changes to the characters from the book? It either broke interesting characters or completely removed them. Some characters from the book are combined in a single character in the movie and not for the best. WHY??? These changes completely ruined the smooth structure of the book to "simplify" it for modern audiences I suppose but again, WHY? The book is not that difficult to follow. Another thing that ruined the movie is the horrendous CGI. The CGI looks like a cutscene from a Playstation 3 game. The green screen OMG looks like someone cutout the character from a green screen with his phone and then pasted on a badly drawn background. And lastly the acting. I'm sorry but most of the cast were bad, which is sad because most of them proved their talent in other projects (except Gal Gadot. All she has is a beautiful smile) Skip this movie. If you want a good detective story go read the book. It's not a long story. You'll probably finish the book a day. 3-4 days if english is not your first language. Yes it's that easy to read through and understand it.

3/10. Agree with metacritic consensus, this is the most lowbrow adaption of a Christi work

[random-70778 · 27 March 2022]

I don't always agree with the professional critics, but I have to say that I do agree this adaption, is, without a doubt, the most turgid and poorly executed Christie adaption that there has been.

There is over an hour of the film before the mystery even begins and that interminable hour consists of exposition that leave the characters as two dimensional as when it started. And half of the characters seem shoveled in with no purpose whatsoever. E.g. Sophie Okonedo. She is a great actress. Perhaps the best in this cast. I strongly recommend people see her Hollow Crown and Hotel Rwanda. But her character (or that of the character's niece) in Death on the Nile is what? Serves what plot purpose? (Answer: none)

The actual "solving" of the mystery has to be the most predictable Christie adaption ever. It is a outright "Cui bono?" It makes it clear this is written for very low brow audience.

A far cry from its predecessor

[fischer_patrick · 6/10 · 5 April 2023]

Death on the Nile fails to meet the high standard of its predecessor Murder on the Orient Express. That being said the film is beautifully shot and the final act is an overall fun mystery ride. The film is generally well acted and directed. One negative is that the audience is just told things a little too much. Murder on the Orient Express had a little more set up and the audience felt more of a part of the mystery early on. That aspect of storytelling felt diminished in this sequel. The mystery does not really pick up until the final act and even then some things are just explained by Detective Poirot without any of the tantalizing intrigue that the first film possessed. Murder on the Orient Express had an amazing twist with good people doing a bad thing which made the audience seriously reflect on the right and wrong of the crime. Unfortunately, Death on the Nile's big twist of bad people doing a bad thing for money felt a little flat. Murder on the Orient Express was a work of art. Death on the Nile is a decent mystery movie.

Slow and Dreary

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 17 July 2022]

I hope a genius like Kenneth Branagh can find another outlet for his directorial style and leave Dame Christie alone. I guess he fancies himself Poirot and wants that role. Like with Orient Express, he is not all that interesting. If anything, he gets a little too flamboyant at times. The story is great in the book. Here it plods along, taking nearly the first half for anything to happen. It's more than exposition. In one scene there is a menu of characters presented to the viewer. Show them. Don't tell them. I have to say I was disappointed because I was told by a friend that this was really an excellent movie. Live and learn.

The book is a million times better

[linda-glass · 7/10 · 12 February 2022]

Did enjoy this, but having read the book by Agatha Christie I can say that you should read the book instead. For a 2 hour movie it does not develop the characters or story very well but cinematography and direction is spectacular.

Death on The Nile, finally sets sail, good film

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 12 February 2022]

The famous Karnak, the murder boat sets sail for a third time, I have really waited for this, it has a lot to live up to, Ustinov's adaptation being one of my all time favourite films.

Was it worth the wait?

For the most part, I'd say yes, plenty of positives to focus on, first off, the visuals, Oscar worthy in my opinion, this was breathtakingly beautiful, landscapes, clothes, buildings, people of course, a real feast for the eyes.

The acting was fabulous, several names to make you raise an eyebrow for one reason and another. First off, Russell Brand, I honestly thought he was excellent here, as were Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman and Emma Mackey.

Branagh is terrific here, a superb performance, and dare I say more accomplished than in the first film.

A few elements I didn't like quite so much, some of the characters had perhaps wandered a little too far from the original source material, I say that not as an Agatha Christie purist, I just enjoy the eccentricities from the likes of Bowers, Salome Otterborne and van Schuyler.

The film's focus was a little frustrating at times, it could have perhaps gone a little heavier on the whodunnit element, rather than the drama of the relationships.

It remains a thrill seeing Agatha Christie on the big screen, now that we've had the two big blockbusters, what's next for Branagh, will his Poirot hang up his (in)famous moustaches, or will we get Evil under the sun?

Overall, I enjoyed it, 7/10.

Please (from Argentina)

[SilviaSironifromArgentina · 6/10 · 20 February 2022]

I beg Mr. Branagh to direct and/or produce films based on Agatha Christie's novels but NOT TO PERFORM as Hercule Poirot, anymore. Please...Not even his moustache is credible.

After having watched Peter Ustinov's and David Suchet's WONDERFUL Poirots...there is no way I can like this current Hercule.

Neither in this movie nor in the previous one.

Besides,as a Christie's fan, I watched the 1978 version of her novel and that was a beautiful piece of art. Actually located in Egypt and full of great famous actors (who were absolutely absent at this time).

This is my humble advice to Kenneth ...knowing he won't read it,of course.

I hope the other people here (at IMDB) will join my wish.

Regards from Argentina.♥

To My Surprise, This Was Good

[boblipton · 6/10 · 12 February 2022]

I wasn't anxious to see Kenneth Branagh's version of DEATH ON THE NILE. I thought his remake of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS was a poor imitation of Sidney Lumet's masterpiece, and his mustache awful. Previews of this movie made it apparent that he had changed mustaches, by gluing one on top of another; this made him look like Eddie Izzard. When the movie started with the Belgians going over the top against the Germans during an anachronistic gas attack in World War One, I felt even worse. Did Branagh think that stretching out the movie with Poirot's back story would make something out of a collection of tics that Agatha Christie used in place of learning how to write a character? Was this supposed to add depth to the stereotypes and make of this more than another of her perfectly plotted impossible murder mysteries? Was I going to care about any of these waxwork figures?

And by the end I did. Whether this is simply a matter of having my expectations set so very low, or Branagh's understanding of Shakespearean drama and how to supervise a flawless Nilotic location shoot, I cannot tell. Some star casting was wasted, although it's nice to see French & Saunders back together again. Gal Gadot's native Sabra accent comes and goes; Letitia Wright gets to score some points, and by the end we regret every murder, victims of their own weaknesses. And despite the awkward ending, Poirot comes off as someone more than a collection of little grey cells who wants to retire and raise vegetable marrows.

Once again Branagh opts for style over substance

[grantss · 4/10 · 6 April 2022]

Hercule Piorot is holidaying in Egypt when he is invited aboard a cruise down the Nile. The host is the extremely wealthy, recently married, heiress Linnet Ridgeway. The journey is soured by the appearance of Jacqueline de Bellefort, the ex-flame of Ridgeway's husband. Ridgeway stole him away from her and she seems intent on extracting some sort of retribution. When Ridgeway is murdered suspicion naturally falls on de Bellefort but she has a cast iron alibi.

I should have known better than to watch this having watched Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Everything about it seemed flat and listless: paint-by-numbers adaptation, minimal intrigue (especially for a murder-drama), subdued, uninspired performances (despite an all-star cast), mindless action scenes.

Where Branagh did dial things up was on the cinematography and effects but even there it falls flat: all the effects just make everything seem fake. You can tell it's being filmed in a studio in front of green screen rather than out in the snow with a real train.

Having watched the excellent 1974 version it was a definite sub-standard effort. It felt like the classic Christie tale had been dumbed-down for modern audiences and substance sacrificed for style.

Murder on the Nile is largely more of the same: weak, dumbed-down adaptation, listless performances, style over substance. The graphics and cinematography at least feel less fake here and are in fact the only positive as they do provide a richness of colour and a vibrance to proceedings.

The screenplay is cringy at times with all the unnecessary add-ons to the novel to accommodate modern viewers. Performances are shrill and irritating. Casting is off: so many dud choices. I assume Branagh only wanted French and Saunders in the film because he's a fan of them as a comedy duo, not because they were ideal for their roles (as they're not).

Similar to how I ended my review of Murder on the Orient Express, watch the excellent 1978 Peter Ustinov version instead. Or watch the relevant episode in the brilliant David Suchet Poirot series. With those already in existence I don't know why this film was made.

Death with a view

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 11 February 2022]

I am the first to tell anyone: watch the original version. Most of the times it is better anyway - but even if not, watching the original after you've seen the remake might have already spoiled things for you. Now when I say Original in this case, I am talking about the movie with Peter Ustinov as Poirot and not the version that was made for TV (which I have not watched yet).

Ustinov was a great Poirot - but Branagh really excels and relishes in this role too. He captures the essence of that weird character and seems really fond of him - making movies worth your while. And in this case a coherent one at that.

Not only do we get a visual upgrade (there are some very stunning scenes in this, which would make great postcards), but we get a theme: love. Now I have not read the novel, so I don't know what this movie leaves out - or what it depicts better or worse than the Ustinov version. What I do know is, that while both versions have the same conclusion, there are enough differences to make anyone watching be thoroughly interested to say the least.

The cast cannot be compared to the original movie (as in the original had way more heavyweights than this has), but even someone like Gal Gadot is able to convince. Although to be fair, she mostly has to look good. She does have an emotional encounter with Branagh - I am assuming she draws from personal experience and stardom/fame - the way she plays that.

There is also a bit of greater emotional attachment and grip on Poirot. As viewers we are as close to him as possible. Some of the other characters are therefor not as richly painted as in the original. But the core is stronger - and the emotional impact ... especially towards the end and if you invested yourself in Poirot ... is quite amazing to say the least.

Very well done - and it shows that Branagh takes these adaptations seriously. Which should leave you satisfied as a viewer. Unless you are hung up in the past ... which if you see this movie, might find ironic ... and even worth a pun.

Hercule Poirot on a new adventure...

[Thanos_Alfie · 7/10 · 9 February 2023]

"Death on the Nile" is a Mystery - Drama movie which is based upon the novel of Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot's vacation being interrupted by a terrifying search of a murderer while on a river cruise on the Nile.

Since I had already read the book of Agatha Christie, I knew the story behind the movie and I had some expectations from it. I enjoyed the movie because it had a lot of mystery that was combined very well with suspense and made the movie interesting and captivating. The direction which was made by Kenneth Branagh was very good and he did an excellent job on the way of presenting both the plot of the movie and his main characters. The interpretations of Gal Gadot who played as Linnet Ridgeway, Emma Mackey who played as Jacqueline de Bellefort, Armie Hammer who played as Simon Doyle and of course Kenneth Branagh who played for one more time as Hercule Poirot. To sum up, I have to say that if you have already watched and enjoyed "Murder on the Orient Express" of 2017 then I am sure you will enjoy "Death on the Nile", too.

Not Good

[Tweetienator · 4/10 · 27 March 2022]

Alone the first scene is a fine example that many of today's movie producers, writers and directors too many times don't understand much about what they write about or produce (or they just don't care - I don't know what's worse): take the first scene, the attack in the war of the trenches. The French use gas to hide themselves and instead of putting on their gas masks (well, gas is dangerous, isn' it?) and taking preparation for an attack (the use of gas almost always indicated an immediate attack), the Germans just say, hey, I can't see a thing, just lets stare around a little bit more or just keep on eating your soup. Next scene, we get some Blues tunes that are fine but, well, the movie plays in 1937, but the first electrical guitar ever build was a Rickenbacker in 1936, and the Blues style played belongs to the 40s and 50s... I just give you that two little examples to illustrate why the whole movie just feels wrong and even dumb sometimes - the characters of course behave and talk also out of time and place. Anyway, watchable, if you like the starred actors but compared to the movie of 1978, this one looks weak.

the human side of Poirot

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 9 February 2022]

Greetings again from the darkness. For us Agatha Christie fans, a certain amount of trepidation exists every time a new movie or TV version of her work hits. Stress level was reduced a bit this time since director-actor Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green are back following their collaboration on Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017). Although the star power this time isn't quite at the level of 'Orient', it seems Mr. Branagh has grown quite fond and confident of his own Hercule Poirot, the Belgian super-sleuth.

Director Branagh takes an unusual approach with a black and white Prologue from 1914 as a young Poirot shows flashes of his intellect as a soldier in WWI. The real purpose of this segment is to show Poirot was once a young man in love, and then a wounded soldier in love, and then a broken-hearted wounded man who would go on to become the world's greatest detective. The prologue also provides backstory on the infamous mustache that is so much a part of Poirot.

We then flash forward to a 1937 London speakeasy where a fastidious Poirot fusses over dessert while watching the formation of a shaky love triangle unfold on the dance floor as Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, with singing vocals from Sister Rosetta Tharpe) belts out her bluesy tunes on stage. Initially it's Jacqueline de Bellefort (relative newcomer Emma Mackey) in the throes of lustful dance moves with her fiancé Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer in the last gasp of a once skyrocketing career). Things change quickly when Jacqui's former schoolmate, Linnete Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), makes her show-stopping appearance in a glittery metallic gown. Flash forward again, this time 6 weeks, and its Linnete and Simon tying the knot at the picturesque Cataract Hotel in Aswan on the River Nile. See, Linnete is an heiress to her less-than-scrupulous father's fortune, and Simon had no trouble trading up. Jacqui, on the other hand, doesn't take it so well.

Of course the fun part of Agatha Christie's murder mysteries involves getting to know the players and watching as the clues reveal themselves, and then how Poirot handles the big reveal. This film's only real weakness is the character development of everyone not named Hercule Poirot. We only skim the surface of Euphemia Buoc (Annette Bening) as Buoc's (a returning Tom Bateman) disapproving mother, Dr. Windlesham (an unusually reserved Russell Brand), Linnete's chambermaid Louise (Rose Leslie), Linette's Godmother and her "nurse" (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, respectively), family attorney Andrew (Ali Fazal), and Salome's niece and manager, Rosalie (Letitia Wright), the proverbial sharpest knife in the drawer.

So what do we get? Well, first and foremost, a fully formed Poirot. Branagh seems to have embraced the character and the mustache, having a blast with his scenes. We also get stunning work from cinematographer Harris Zambarloukos, as he films the beautiful people, the beautiful wardrobes, and such sites as the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Ramses statues of Abu Simbel, and the excellent set piece known as the Karnak luxury steamer. There are some metaphorical effects inserted that periodically startle us, and seem unnecessary, but then over-the-top moments are not unusual in film presentations of Christie's writing. She passed away in 1976, and now there are almost 200 film and TV projects associated with her work.

Love and betrayal are key elements here, and for fans of the original book and the 1978 film version, comparisons are unavoidable. Ms. Mackey's jilted lover stalker is a marked improvement over Mia Farrow's character, while Salome and Rosalie and terrific additions. Ms. Saunders and Ms. French follow in the footsteps of cinematic heavyweights Bette Davis and Maggie Smith, and your choice of Branagh or Peter Ustinov as Poirot is one left up to you. It's tough to beat 'whodunnit escapism', though it's a personal choice on which of Christie's stories serve up the best puzzle pieces on the big screen.

Opens in theaters on February 11, 2022.

Enough bad accents to fill the Nile!

[ethanbresnett · 6/10 · 12 February 2022]

I really rather enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express, and so was looking forward to this follow up, however was left altogether disappointed.

After a wholly unnecessary first 10 minutes, we finally get going with the movie proper, which is torturously slow for its first hour. There is far too long to wait until we actually get a death on the Nile. I'm all for a slow build up and scene setting, but it just felt very pedestrian and strained in this film.

The final act leading up to the reveal is rather more exciting, but unfortunately the reveal itself is rather predictable and not overly complex or satisfying, meaning the film ends on a bit of an underwhelming note.

The ensemble cast is hit and miss, with so many dodgy accents and ultimately a rather bland collection of characters.

What this film does have going for it is a pretty well executed tone. It strikes plenty of the right notes in creating a satisfying murder mystery vibe at its core, its just a shame that this couldn't be built on.

Disappointing, but just about fun enough when it does get going to make a watch somewhat worthwhile.

Poirot is better vacation only than handling the case of a young couple

[HafizhMaulana21 · 7/10 · 30 November 2022]

Hercule Poirot, who is on vacation in Egypt, must intervene in handling the murder case that happened to a young couple during their honeymoon. Everyone who was in Egypt had a bad relationship with the couple.

Death on the Nile is the second film for Kenneth Branagh to direct the novel by Agatha Christie to the big screen. Death on the Nile is supposed to be an interesting and dense story of mystery, but the performance in this film feels sluggish. Death on the Nile here is a little different from the plot of the novel. Instead of being able to present a dense mystery story, this film has too much lip service in portraying the character of Linnet Ridgeway. The conflict of the story presented does not feel that it has a strong foundation to raise the conflict that is happening. The storyline feels widened so that it is not centered on a single conflict to be built. The conflict also doesn't have good enough emotions so the running of the story doesn't have a good emotional side. All of these are also not supported by strong and dense dialogue. The dialogue between the characters feels so bland that no expression is depicted.

During the two-hour run of the film, this film does present a story plot that does not perform optimally. Especially with a variety of slightly different characters performed from the novel. Of course, this film has a fairly simple ending to execute Poirot's climax in closing the case.

Just like the previous film, even though it has presented a series of well-known casts, in fact, it has not raised the mystery story of Death on the Nile. Gal Gadot is indeed able to display the graceful and dazzling character of Linnet Ridgeway. The rest of the cast didn't actually play badly. Their performance is still worthy of appreciation.

Watchable, although somewhat unnecessary remake...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 27 March 2022]

Well, I can't really claim that the 2022 movie "Death on the Nile" is one that I was particularly excited to watch. Why? Well, it is a remake and haven't the Agatha Christie 1937 murder mystery been put to the screen enough times already? I mean, 1978 and again in 2004, wasn't that enough?

But still, I got the opportunity to sit down and watch this 2022 version from director Kenneth Branagh, so I opted to watch what he had to offer.

And I will say that "Death on the Nile" definitely is a stylish feature. There are so much attention to detail in the sets, props, costumes and such, and that spruced up the movie quite a lot, especially if you have an eye for detail.

With that being said, then I will admit that "Death on the Nile" certainly was watchable. It wasn't a great movie, mind you, but it was watchable and enjoyable enough for what it turned out to be. The movie isn't, however, a movie that you will watch more than once, as it usually goes for murder mysteries.

Something that "Death on the Nile" had working for it was the rather amazing cast ensemble. I was rather impressed with the sheer amount of talented performers that were on the cast list. So at least you get to watch this movie brought to the screen by people whom have their art down to near perfection.

Of course there is an audience out there for murder mysteries, be it in book form, TV series form, or even movie form, so yeah "Death on the Nile" is definitely going to have a fan base out there. Maybe even among those that enjoyed the previous movie versions as well.

My rating of "Death on the Nile" lands on a six out of ten stars. It was watchable and fairly enjoyable, I will say that much. But I know that I will never return to watch "Death on the Nile" a second time.

The real murderer is the writer of this remake

[altereggo123 · 1/10 · 29 April 2022]

Kenneth Branagh must not have liked the original story or characters much, given all the changes he made. This is a terrible movie on many levels.

Poirot is a different character. He is now a former war hero with a lost love and a romantic side. Unforgivably, Branagh creates a major departure involving Poirot's signature moustache. There is an obligatory nod to Poirot's obsession with order and symmetry, but overall this is not the character in the Christie novels. Why didn't Kenneth Branagh just create a new detective named Branagh rather than rewriting Poirot? Agatha Christie herself found her most popular character insufferable, but she never changed him to make him more "normal."

Then there is the miscasting. Gal Gadot, who is always appealing but who has neither a British nor American accent, is not even remotely believable as British heiress Lynette Ridgeway. In addition, her backstory includes an instance in which she summers in Kennebunkbort, Maine. Perhaps visiting the Bush family? So she's a New Englander too!

In the novel, Ridgeway's lawyer is a childhood playmate and cousin named Pennington. In this movie, he is from India and named Katdhadorian. He's supposed to be family!? An elderly woman and her caretaker on board the ship (a spinster with her nurse in Christie's original), are in a lesbian relationship.

A white character in the original novel, a British writer of terrible romance novels, is transformed into a great black blues singer, Salome Otterborne, whose daughter, Rosalie, we are told, is the irresistible love interest of a British toff. It's a good thing the script tells us this, because there is no evidence of sexual attraction or infatuation on screen. Poirot delivers a paean to here, filled with white guilt, and she replies with scorn. Both of their speeches are straight out of the woke wars of the present and have nothing to do with an Agatha Christie murder mystery.

Rosalie also talks about racism she one experienced at a whites-only swimming pool in the US. So it's not just Death on the Nile. It's Death on the Mississippi Burning.

Does any of this sound like Agatha Christie? Or is Branagh just using her name to get moviegoers to watch a different film? None of these problems are helped by the excessive length, slow pacing and bad CGI . A new remake should be an improvement over previous remakes, but so much of the scenery in this film is digitally created, it feels like animation.

Avoid this. Look for an earlier TV or film version or read the book.

Not The Poirot I Know

[krisnadexter · 6/10 · 16 June 2022]

I don't really like the first "Murder On The Orient Express" so I watch this with little expectations. And as expected, this movie is a let down.

The acting is average. CGI is mediocre. And the story is weak. When the murder happens I can already tell who's the killer, and how the murderer did it.

I don't understand why they add the war scene. Just to tell audience why Poirot grow magnificent moustache? That totally unnecessary.

I've read a lot of Poirot novel, this is a different way to depict him. And in a bad way.

Below average acting performances is one of it's weakest parts. And it's getting quite tedious. Better skip the first hour. Nothing happens.

[imseeg · 4/10 · 6 April 2022]

They tried, yes, they did, but what's most annoying about this movie is the below average acting performances. French and Dawn's appearance (not funny) dont make things any better. There are lots of silly accents and lots of scenes with over acting. Annoying.

More bad:the utter tediousness of this story. It lasts a whopping 2 hours and a bit and this story only starts going after an entire hour. And even then it's quite tedious to watch.

No humor. (not my kind) No suspense. Really none at all. What's left? An average detective, really below average...

The story: lots of folks travel on a cruiseboat. Someone dies. Who did it?

Slowly Drew Me In

[koltonbrett · 7/10 · 17 January 2023]

As expected, Death on the Nile is a clever story that requires the viewer to pay attention. It's not fast moving or very thrilling by any means, but it's interesting and puts together a good mystery that keeps us guessing. As with Murder on the Orient Express, there are quite a few characters all with enough motive to make them suspects. The fun for us is trying to solve the mystery alongside detective Hercule Poirot. The story does a good job keeping us thrown off the trail by getting us to suspect multiple different characters at different points throughout the story. Kenneth Branagh is a fantastic Hercule Poirot and this movie builds onto this character.

Another standout performance from this cast is Emma Mackey. If it wasn't for Kerry Condon's performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, Mackey would have won best supporting actress of 2022 in my book. Another highlight of Death on the Nile is how lovely the movie looks with its beautiful Egyptian setting. There's nothing like an interesting and immersive location to enhance a good mystery. I'm a fan of how important the locations are for these stories. The whole, "stuck with an unknown killer" scenario is a fun one and I'm especially looking forward to 2023's Halloween themed Hercule Poirot murder mystery.

Special appearance by Cleopatra.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 21 November 2022]

Sarah Phelps,in her TV adaptation of "the ABC murders" had already revealed some obscure facts of Poirot's life in the war; here ,in the prologue which has nothing to do with the novel,the screen writers registered the same desire: one sees private Poirot in the trenches where his grey cells are always at work in war strategy;furthermore, one learns why Poirot never got married (Billy Wilder did the same with Holmes in "the private life of Sherlock Holmes" ). Actually ,in Christie's books, Poirot was a Belgian refugee in WWI when he appears in "the mysterious affair at Styles",and that's it.

A lot of people read the book and more saw the John Guillermin 1978 version which was successful ,so they know the whodunit and the murderer 's savoir faire. Christie's trick is as usual,brilliant. However , like he did in his remake of "murder on the orient express" , Brannagh ,against all odds ,almost makes new things out of old. His make up is horrible ,but his grey cells are as effective as ever ;even though you know the end ,you can enjoy it because it's shorter than the Ustinov version ,which remains unsurpassed though.

Too long for nothing.

[yahiaaqil · 6/10 · 26 March 2022]

The whole first hour of the movie was completely useless. It doesn't serve the plot, the drama or the character development. It should have been a one hour movie. And the French accent was exaggerated!

Branagh's newest Poirot outing provides more of the same

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 10 February 2022]

A pleasant enough if unremarkable experience, Kenneth Branagh's first foray as Agatha Christie's famed detective Hercule Poirot in 2017's Murder on the Orient Express created enough buzz around the world to be considered one of the years most surprising box office hits, with it quickly announced in the aftermath of the films release that Branagh would be back behind of and in front of the camera again with another famous Poirot outing, Death on the Nile.

Suffering an abundance of release set backs that can be traced back all the way to 2019, the Covid affected 2020 and then the Armie Hammer saga that forced Nile to quickly do its best to erase traces of the one-time A-lister from its marketing throughout 2021, Nile has not had an easy run to its eventual cinematic release and now that it's finally here for public consumption it's sure to be a film that fans of the first Branagh lead outing will enjoy, even if this watchable but entirely unenthusiastic experience does little to inspire much excitement.

Loaded to the brim with star talent that includes help for Branagh from the likes of Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Dawn French, Letitia Wright and dare we say his name once more Armie Hammer, Nile is a prestigious feeling film (even if slightly over CGI'd) and there's always joy to be had when watching such talented performers act off one another and be a part of an ensemble as talented as this one is but the films po-faced delivery and uninspiring play by play doesn't do much to help its cause as Christie's typically constructed whodunit gets by with enough mystery and eye-candy to keep us watching without ever being overly engaged or stimulated.

It's a shame Branagh wasn't able to give his film more exciting elements, the setting of the Egypt located murder mystery and the colorful bunch of characters should've allowed for a very playful and even at times exhilarating cinematic spectacle but Nile often feels as though it's merely coasting along, much like the large ship where the action takes place on does, content with ticking off Poirot's procedural without ever conjuring up any magic of its own to inspire an attempt at lasting long in a viewers memory.

Where the film does find some neat components is in allowing us to get a better understanding of who Poirot is.

Unlike Orient Express, Nile delves at times further into the cold and calculating detectives back story and even motivations, making the larger than life mustached mans world feel far more lived in and while there's nothing remotely outstanding about the way in which Branagh plays the classic literary character, it's a bonus for the film to give more weight to its central figure, even if everyone else around him feels like mere passengers to a story that is neither deep enough nor alive enough to elevate this film to a must-watch status.

Final Say -

Perfectly watchable without ever gripping or engaging like the best whodunits do, Death on the Nile is a pleasant enough diversion but suggests that the days of Branagh's Poirot series is unlikely to be long lasting based on this middle of the road affair.

3 kites out of 5.

For more reviews check out Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Not bad at all really enjoyed it

[henryspencer-44542 · 7/10 · 13 February 2023]

I actually really enjoyed this movie it's not as good as murder On the express it's really good I thought that I really enjoyed it the trailer look really good and I wasn't disappointed with it I thought they was really good I don't know why it gets very low ratings I thought that it was very storyline was very exciting really good movie one of the best movies I've watched of 2022 I really enjoyed it from start to finish really enjoyed watching this movie it's not as good as I thought it would be but it's not bad it's not average I think it's just a decent movie interesting story Great movie....