Movie Review: A Haunting in Venice
Kenneth Branagh returns as the world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot in A Haunting in Venice, the third and best film Branagh has directed based on the books of Agatha Christie.
Set in post-World War II Italy, Hercule Poirot (Branagh), having lost faith in humanity and his passion for detection, has retired from detective work and living in exile. He is visited by Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), an old friend and mystery author, and she convinces him to attend a séance on Halloween night to try and expose a renowned medium (Michelle Yeoh) of being a fraud. When one of the guests is murdered, it is up to Poirot to uncover the killer before they strike again.
As mentioned above, this is the third Agatha Christie mystery that Branagh has directed and starred in and the series has gotten better with each film. Murder on the Orient Express was a star-studded whodunnit but lacked excitement and fell short in comparison to Sidney Lumet’s 1974 Oscar-winning film. Death on the Nile, despite some problematic people in the cast and shaky CGI, felt like Branagh was more comfortable with the tone and atmosphere of Christie’s murder mysteries and dove deeper into the past of Poirot.
With A Haunting in Venice, Branagh has complete control and understanding of these movies. He understands Poirot and the man he is, the man he was, and the man he is becoming. He understands the construction of these mysteries and made a very entertaining and twisty thriller that had me guessing until the very end, the essential staple of any good whodunit. There was a comfortability in watching this movie knowing that the series is in good hands with Branagh and a hope that he will continue to make these films and star as Poirot for years to come.
What struck me most about A Haunting in Venice is how expertly Branagh set the horror atmosphere. The first two films were lavish films with glitz and glam. A Haunting in Venice, while taking place in a seaside mansion in Venice, is as close to a horror movie as Branagh has ever made and may ever make. It deals with murder, ghosts, spirits, and the mystery of the unknown. Poirot is a man who is always looking for an answer and refuses to accept that this house is haunted and that he is seeing ghosts. The gorgeous production design heightens the dark, gothic tone, and the quick editing offers some fun jump scares. Branagh also utilizes bizarre camera choices to give us an uneasy feeling when the thrills are put on pause. Shots that feature close-ups with wide-angle lenses, Dutch angles (a Branagh staple), or characters not in the center of the frame are interesting, unconventional choices. When I first noticed these shots, I was put off and confused by the decision. But as they continued, it became clear Branagh did this intentionally to give us an unsettling feeling, like what Poirot is feeling constantly throughout the house.
Branagh is firing on all cylinders with A Haunting in Venice. He gives his best performance as Poirot and showcases himself as a director by choosing unique and effective choices in the film’s camera work and editing to immerse us in this horror mystery. The ensemble is once again stellar, with Tina Fey being a standout and I was on the edge of my seat until the big reveal. A Haunting in Venice is a perfect film to kick off the fall movie season.
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