Movie Number 34 of 2023
The Movie: A Haunting in Venice
The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
Stars: 3.5
File this one under pretty to look at.
I was after a diversion from thinking about trip planning and house cleaning and ironing and the like, and this was the only thing on at the local cinema that fit the bill. I used a voucher to purchase the ticket and went along with some reticence, as the reviews were saying that this was a much darker film coming from Kenneth Brannagh. His Murder on the Orient Express was magnificent. I really enjoyed Death on the Nile too.
So, was this next installation of Agatha Christie based films comes from the book Halloween Party. The basis of the story reads, "In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer. "
Yep, that's about the crux of it.
Compared to Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express, this film is a bit creepier. Set in an old orphanage, Poirrot (Kenneth Brannagh) is called upon to investigate a strange suicide by his old mate Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey - who provides a bit of light relief throughout the film). The dead girl is the daughter of a famous singer, Rowena Price (Kelly Reilly), the owner of the house on the Venice canals which was once an infamous orphanange. . A famous psychic, Mrs Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) comes with her entourage to perform a seance on the anniversary of the girl's death, as is the doctor who cared for the girl and his son (Belfast's Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill, coming back to join Brannagh's ensemble). There are the normal twists and turns found in a whodunnit, and the movie does come to a satisfying conclusion.
I've never been a real Agatha Christie fan, however I've always loved Kenneth Brannagh. It's am Agatha Christie movie. Venice looks amazing and Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography is wonderful. Venice is at its glorious best, made better by the inclement weather, invoking This is a moody film and the sets and location are made even creepier by Hildur Guðnadóttir's musical score.
Brannagh's direction is on point as ever.
Is this a horror flick? No. It is scary in place and it is creepy as all hell, but as somebody who doesn't like overly scary films, I coped well.
This is a nice distraction. It's not as polished as Murder in the Orient Express, bit it keeps you interested for the film's hour and forty five minutes run.
It's probably more for the Agatha Christie aficionados, however I have no qualms about recommending this, as it is very pretty to look at.
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