A Reel Review: A HAUNTING IN VENICE

To borrow a sportsball term: Acclaimed director and actor Kenneth Branagh has a .500 average in adapting famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie to the big screen. First came his most-excellent, ensemble-driven MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017), and then the most-crappy, lack-of-ensemble DEATH ON THE NILE (2022). Here in 2023, Branagh takes some big swings with A HAUNTING IN VENICE. 

 

Venice, 1947. Famed detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh), is coaxed out of retirement by his friend and mystery novelist Ariadne (Tina Fey), to attend a séance held by Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), to try and disprove her supernatural abilities. 

 

Directed by Branagh and based on the 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party by Christie, A HAUNTING IN VENICE is a twisting, turning, slow-burning murder mystery sprinkled with a healthy dose of old-fashioned horror. Poirot is brought to a creepy old Palazzo which was once home to children who died during a plague. Eventually, as we would expect, a guest winds up dead…and Poirot switches back to famous-detective mode to try and solve the murder. 

 

As a whodunit, there are things that we expect to keep the plot moving. The murder that comes is expected, although the guest that gets it is a huge surprise. Everyone is then trapped in the building thanks to a (in)convenient storm, and as Poirot peels back the many layers of the mystery…we as the audience are left guessing over and over. 

 

What makes the usual cliché stuff work is the setting and the horror elements. Poirot has his disbelief in the supernatural challenged when he starts seeing and hearing apparitions, and the film has no lack of scares. The real star here is the Palazzo itself, which is packed with Gothic horror elements: shadows loom large by candlelight, ghostly figures appear in lighting flashes, and we are left constantly scanning the surroundings for something to come at us. The production and cinematography are excellent. Characters seem small up against the spectacular architecture, and the film has a great sense of atmosphere thanks to extreme high and low angles. There is also not a spot of CGI to be found, giving the film an old-school feel that is timeless. 

 

Branagh gets a solid performance out of his entire cast. The actor/director is excellent as always, and he is matched toe-to-toe with Tina Fey who is a huge surprise. Michelle Yeoh seriously gives off some creepy vibes. 

 

Most whodunits live or die by its ensemble cast. The draw to most of them is that the audience is on the edge of their seats waiting to see which one of their favorite actors or actresses are the culprit. The lack of this is partly what sank DEATH ON THE NILE. A HAUNTING IN VENICE also goes low in its cast, but it works better because of the wonderful mashup of mystery and horror. To borrow a sportsball term: Branagh has improved his average by way of a grand slam. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it