Murder on the Orient Express had a weak script while Death on the Nile was a much better film plot-wise but was badly let down by the overuse of green screen and CGI that ruined the cinematic experience.
This time around with A Haunting in Venice, Branagh and his team tackle a lesser-known Agatha Christie piece. Hallowe’en Party, which has previously been adapted for television and radio but never before for the big screen… a smart move because for once it means Branagh will be bringing something fresh to the Christie universe.
Set just after the end of World War II, A Haunting in Venice sees Poirot (Branagh - Hamlet) retired from the crime-solving caper. Each day he is hassled by people wanting him to solve mysteries for them, but they are kept at bay by his trusty bodyguard, Portfoglio (Riccardo Scamarcio – John Wick: Chapter 2). That is until old friend and author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey – Date Night) turns up and begs him to attend a Halloween Party with her where she plans to expose world-famous medium Mrs Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once).
Poirot agrees to attend the party and soon finds himself in the home of grieving mother Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly - Yellowstone), who has never recovered from the loss of her beloved daughter, Alicia (Rowan Robinson - Passenger), years earlier. Added to the mystery is the fact that the house is supposedly haunted from the time it was used as an orphanage where it is rumoured a group of children were sadly murdered by those supposedly caring for them.
In the hands of the right screenwriter and director, A Haunting in Venice has all the right elements to be a sensational paranormal thriller – but here it feels like something went horribly wrong as the film felt like it was lacking in so many areas.
Like with Murder on the Orient Express, what keeps this film afloat were the performances of the key actors. Once again Branagh was sensational as Poirot while Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh was amazing as Mrs Reynolds. Perhaps the most impressive performance here though is of Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) playing psychologically damaged Dr Leslie Ferrier. His performance showing Ferrier’s side effects of war is a moving tribute to what some many soldiers today still suffer from.
The highlight when it came to the acting though was young Jude Hill. Like he did in Branagh’s Belfast, Hill put in a performance well beyond his age. Here he played the creepy and non-emotional son of Leslie Ferrier and the result is a performance that has made me believe that this kid is going to win an Oscar one day.
Sadly though, those amazing performances were all let down by a weak screenplay and some ‘interesting’ stylistic choices when it came to the film-making side of things.
While the plot itself has the set up for a good film, the screenplay is a let down on a number of fronts. First of all, it doesn’t give the audience a great insight into the mysteries at hand. A brilliant twist would happen, but then that ‘mystery’ would be solved in an instant with Poirot rushing to the conclusion without any signposts being given to the audience. Perhaps it would have worked once or twice, but with the number of twists that happened within this film, it just became repetitive and disappointing.
Likewise, it felt like the screenwriter missed out on some amazing chances to explore some deep themes. For a majority of this film it feels like for once in his life Poirot’s belief in science and fact is being tested. He has been placed in a situation where he can actively believe that the paranormal might be real, but the screenplay never really goes deep enough into his inner thoughts on the matter. A few jump scares for Poirot is not how this subject matter should have been handled.
There are a few other issues with the film as well. It felt like Branagh was trying to emulate the style of James Wan or Leigh Whannell with what they have achieved with the look and feel of The Conjuring movies, but he never really seemed to nail it, while the choppy editing style that saw characters change locations in an instant just led to some confusing moments for the audiences.
In the end most people will find A Haunting in Venice to be a bit of a disappointment. It has its creative moments, like using the storm swell in Venice to heighten suspense, but with the cases at hand it felt like the screenwriter was trying to sprint to an outcome rather than let it play out for the audience and build tension as it went. The film has some great acting performances, but don’t expect it to capture the Agatha Christie air of suspense the way that it should have.
A Haunting in Venice is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘13’
2.5/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He is also an accredited reviewer for Rotten Tomatoes. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus