"Death on the Nile" (2022)

“Death on the Nile” is the second installment in what may perhaps be an ongoing series for writer-director-actor Kenneth Branagh. Besides the titular character of detective Hercule Poirot, the link between “Nile” and its predecessor “Murder on the Orient Express” leaves a thematic and cinematic gap between the two stories.

Branagh is no stranger to tackling cinematic and theatrical adaptations. Adaptations are Branagh’s bread and butter. He knows how to approach and interpret source material and translate the story for the big screen. “Nile” tries to utilize the same structure of the who-dun-it plot indicative of Agatha Christie’s storytelling, yet falls short of the mark. Sadly, the plot structure of this story is all over the place. The film’s exposition not only elongates the story, but looks, feels, and sounds like an entirely different film. I had to look up the film’s plot on Wikipedia, in the middle of the theatre, thus breaking my adherence to theatre etiquette to make sure I was watching the correct movie. Inciting incident(s) and major complications abound, and it takes forever and a day to set up. For a film called “Death on the Nile,” it takes ages for any murder to occur.

The film’s emotional climax makes one say, “I saw that coming from a mile away.” Attentive viewers will see all the signs leading up to the unmasking of the murder plot throughout the film and the red herrings peppered into an alphabet soup of suspects and motives. Most of these clues fall on the shoulders of actor Armie Hammer, who does very little to try and mask his character’s “hidden knowledge.” Sure, it’s easy to take a dig at Armie Hammer in the wake of some shocking revelations about the actor’s sexual behaviors and family history of erratic behavior. And sure, it may be hard for audiences to separate the actor’s personal life from that of the performance. Still, a sexually-driven character at the heart of a murder-mystery plot really doesn’t help “Nile” land the reception it initially anticipated.

“Nile” held off release during the pandemic, which may have helped its marketing efforts to separate the film from Hammer’s presence. Promotional trailers for the film suggested Hammer’s character may have been the one to bite the bullet. Without diving into Christie’s source material, I definitely took the bait of evidentiary editing and theorized that “Nile” metaphorically sacrificed Hammer in the film’s promotion to draw audiences in. I was genuinely shocked when, spoiler alert, Gal Gadot’s character was the one killed off and not Hammer’s. It’s brilliant marketing and deftly navigates making a non-statement statement in a rough situation and minimal film promotion by its large cast.

Although it’s easy to enjoy the ride of the plot and the lively visuals of a theatricalized 1930s Egypt, it’s sad to say that the performances from about half the cast, sadly including Gadot, are clunky and lackluster. Considering Branagh’s extensive theatrical experience, it is surprising that the cast does not play off each other as a company. The medium of cinema is no longer an excuse for disjointed ensemble performances. However, Anette Benning, Russel Brand, Rose Leslie, and Sophie Okonedo give entertaining performances. Sadly, Letitia Wright’s handling of a clunky southern accent filtered through her own English accent does not hit the mark. Perhaps more time and a theatrical rehearsal approach would help address “Niles’s” shortfalls.