A Haunting in Venice Movie Review: On September 14th A Haunting in Venice by and starring Kenneth Branagh arrives at the cinema. The third chapter of the Hercule Poirot franchise brought to the big screen by the English actor and director is loosely based on the novel Poirot and the Massacre of the Innocents by Agatha Christie.
After Murder on the Orient Express and Murder on the Nile, the events move to Italy for a ruthless hunt which this time will lead Poirot to unexpected consequences that will call into question the skills of the skilled investigator. Thanks to 20th Century Studios we saw the film in preview and below we report our opinion.
A Haunting in Venice Movie Story:
“Murder in Venice” is set in mysterious post-World War II Venice on the eve of All Hallows' Eve. This sequel to 2017's Murder on the Orient Express and 2022's Murder on the Nile is a terrifying new mystery featuring the return of famed detective, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the most fascinating city in the world, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance in a crumbling, haunted mansion. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is catapulted into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
Freely based on Poirot and the Massacre of the Innocents, Agatha Christie's 1969 novel, Murder in Venice is a rewriting of Christie's work and works by Branagh and Michael Green who decide to maintain some dynamics of the novel but change the intentions, the location, some characters and the setting.
If the literary work was set in the English countryside, the film version moves to Venice, inserting a completely original "dark" plot, a novelty for this franchise which until now aimed at the cinematic realization of Christie's works in a completely faithful way. Branagh and Green's choice to rewrite the story is certainly a winning one so that even fans of the English writer will be able to find a "new" story to approach.
The dark/paranormal twist is definitely interesting if you think about the period in which this film was released. It's almost time for the beginning of autumn and the Halloween period and Murder in Venice is certainly an interesting film to see even while waiting for its release on Disney+ which should coincide with the month of November.
A Haunting in Venice Movie Cast:
This time too Branagh chooses a cast of important names at the helm of his project. Tina Fey plays the role of the writer Ariadne Oliver, and Jamie Dornan as the Doctor. Ferrier, Jude Hill the very young interpreter from Belfast – another Branagh film – is Leopold Ferrier, Michelle Yeoh fresh from winning the Oscar is the psychic Joyce Reynolds, Kyle Allen is Maxime Gerard, Camille Cottin is the housekeeper Olga Seminoff, Kelly Riley is Rowena Drake, Emma Laird is the first victim, Desdemona Holland and Riccardo Scamarcio are Vitale Portfolio. Kenneth Branagh himself is unmissable in the role of Hercule Poirot in his third investigation.
A Haunting in Venice Movie Analysis:
After a decidedly unsuccessful second film in the franchise, Branagh creates a new, well-made film that takes full advantage of the Venice settings and its gothic/dark charm which fits perfectly with the intention of directing a film that combines crime fiction with the paranormal.
We must not imagine Poirot's "fantasy" twist as central to the story, we chose to give these vibes to create a dynamic narrative that Branagh managed to fully realize. Although some passages of the screenplay appear too sped up or forced, in general, the story has its own reason for existing. It's not always easy to adapt an existing story from scratch, but Branagh took one of Christie's not-so-famous novels and adapted it in a personal and original way that works.
The credit for the film's success certainly goes to the performances of the cast and the production itself. Venice and its dark buildings are the perfect backdrop and Branagh's direction is not only functional to the story but adapts to the atmosphere, aided by a photographer and precise color correction which increases the sensations of fear and terror. With an unexpected direction, also capable of some interesting flashes, Assassination in Venice manages well to combine the atmospheres of a detective story with horror ones, favoring a theatrical and choral narrative, typical of the English director's films.
In addition to being an original adaptation of a novel by Agatha Christie, Murder in Venice is a film capable of playing with the atmospheres of a detective story and those of horror, never too explicit or scary. Kenneth Branagh, in his third film about the detective Hercule Poirot and after an unsuccessful second film, proves himself to be a good conductor with Assassin in Venice and despite some slip-ups in the screenplay phase, which do not compromise the success of the film, he directs and a film suitable for the autumn period, perfect for lovers of crime fiction and, why not, also horror.