Death on the Nile (2022) Review

Death on the Nile (2022)

Death on the Nile follows detective Hercule Poiror, who, while on vacation in Egypt, must rush to solve a case after a couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short and the bodies start piling up. 

Having only really seen one adaption of Poiror now, I’m still a little fresh behind the ears when it comes to Agatha Christie’s famed detective, but that didn’t stop me a bit from enjoying the hell out of Death on the Nile (and neither should it for you). While I still need to check out Branagh’s first stab (wink wink), with Murder on the Orient Express, I think there is an immediate presence to his Poiror that works on so many levels, many of which making him a character people want to be around, exuding a level of confidence and self respect that still knows how to have a jolly good time. Though he doesn’t have to, he plays every side, long before any murder takes place, demonstrating what makes him a good detective to begin with: he pays attention in a room. There’s plenty of hidden motive to go around, so it’s sifting through all of that motive to find the real killer(s), amidst a race against time that keeps this so thrilling.

And of course, what a setting! Egypt has hardly ever looked so beautiful on film, from the sprawling pyramids, to the glimmering waters of the nile, and even the incredible visage of Abu Simbel; just some truly great iconography that is paired wonderfully with even better cinematography out of Haris Zambarloukos. With such an amazing setting, it makes for a mystery that is as stunning as it is engaging, especially as the film doesn’t just stop at one body, constantly upping the count (but not in like a slasher fashion). 

As per usual, we get a massive cast, starring Rose Leslie, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Sophie Okonedo, Ali Fazal, Letitia Wright, Russell Brand, Annette Bening, Tom Bateman, Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey, Armie Hammer, and Kenneth Branagh. Thanks to his Shakespearian roots, it’s no wonder Branagh makes a delightfully intense Poiror, with such a tight command of the room in every scene, especially towards the end, bringing out a ‘killer’ performance from Mackay, who finally makes the jump from TV to film. 

Based on the novel by Agatha Christie, Death on the Nile, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is far more in line with what I would expect out of a character like Poiror, capturing the tragic end of an ambitious and unrelenting love when pushed too far, a common theme for the movie as a whole. 

9.2/10