Death on the Nile

Actually, Belgian master detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) just wanted to enjoy his well-deserved vacation in Egypt. But then he is invited to a magnificent wedding celebration on a paddle steamer. But instead of being able to marvel at the fascinating scenery and the majestic pyramids of Giza, Poirot's little gray cells are soon in demand again. For the festivities are abruptly ended by a murder. And already Poirot finds himself in the middle of a deadly tale of jealousy and intrigue - and it's not long before the culprit strikes again...

After the great success of his adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic "Murder on the Orient Express", Kenneth Branagh has now taken on another novel by the author with "Death on the Nile". Once again he was not only behind the camera, but also in front of it as Poirot. Through a prologue shot in black and white, it reveals some secrets from Poirot's past - especially about the purpose of his mustache, which this time is not quite as exaggeratedly large as it was in the predecessor. Whether these revelations about the master detective, which are taken up again in an actually unnecessary epilogue, were really needed, remains to be seen. Well staged they are in any case.

I personally liked "Murder on the Orient Express" but clearly better. The atmosphere was much more gripping and although I already knew the outcome, I found the production quite exciting. In "Death on the Nile" there are more corpses, but also more boredom. The story meanders along on the Nile, while the top-class ensemble, led by "Wonder Woman" Gal Gadot is convincing, but hardly leaves a lasting impression. Only Emma Mackey, known from the Netflix series "Sex Education", acts with an engaging intensity, while, for example, "Game of Thrones" actress Rose Leslie remains very pale.

No question: the film offers entertaining, dignified crime entertainment over long stretches. But the production lacks that certain something that distinguished especially the novel, but also the earlier adaptation with Peter Ustinov in the leading role. Branagh is a good director and also a convincing Poirot. But this time he only succeeds to a limited extent in adapting the popular novel in such a way that it is still gripping and exciting even for connoisseurs of the story. For this reason, there is the deserved "Seeable" also only with some small deductions.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp