The film is an adaptation of a lesser-known Agatha Christie mystery novel, starring Kenneth Branagh as legendary Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.
By Dana Barbuto/Boston Movie News
Nothing good comes from a séance held in a haunted house on All Hallow’s Eve. That’s the cliched premise for “A Haunting in Venice,” Kenneth Branagh’s third outing as the mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot.
It’s a classic whodunnit mixed with supernatural vibes, involving lots of fog and flickering lights. Also, expect the obligatory “I see dead people” hallucinations, jump scares, deadly apple-bobbing, and a spooky post-WWII setting in Venice, where every house is “haunted or cursed.” It results in a mixed bag.
Branagh also again directs beside trilogy scribe Michael Green, adapting Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party.” Even if you haven’t read the novel or seen the 2010 episode of TV’s “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” (starring the great David Suchet as Poirot), you’ll probably solve the mystery faster than Poirot.
Like the city he chose for self-exile, Poirot is “a gorgeous relic slowly sinking into the sea.” Fastidious to a fault, he is all about evidence, order, and method, never encountering a case he couldn’t crack. The methodology of how Poirot operates is the allure of Christie’s “cozies.” The fun derives from watching his powers of observation and deduction. And, of course, the reveals.
In “A Haunting in Venice,” the only thing that feels cozy is Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, a fictional American mystery novelist. Fey zips through her dialogue as usual, hitting more than a few sarcastic notes. Her levity is unmatched amid an otherwise gloomy ensemble. I’d love to see her join a “Knives Out” mystery opposite Daniel Craig’s chicken-fried sleuth.
Fey’s “authoress” is Poirot’s old friend, seeking help to debunk a medium (Michelle Yeoh) claiming to be a conduit to the dead. Ariadne drags a reluctant and retired Poirot to a Halloween séance at the palazzo of Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly), hoping to contact the famous opera singer’s deceased daughter, Alicia. The old abode is, naturally, haunted by the souls of tortured orphans. Creepy kids in a horror flick? Imagine that!
The gathering extends through one rain-soaked evening. The supernatural situation sparks a severe case of self-doubt in Poirot. That’s a new wrinkle for him. Nonetheless, he jumps into supersleuth mode once murderous things happen. He locks the door. No one leaves until the killer is found.
There’s an array of suspects and victims to sort through, starting with Branagh’s “Belfast” co-stars Jamie Dornan, a still shell-shocked war doctor, and Jude Hill, as his precocious son. Camille Cottin plays a Bible-thumping housekeeper, invoking prayers to ward off the night’s evil spirits. Kyle Allen is the dead girl’s former fiancé. Ali Khan, Emma Laird, and Riccardo Scamarcio round out the cast.
Branagh’s two previous Poirot films, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile,” are enjoyable whodunnits. In “Venice,” he opts for shock and suspense, bolstered by macabre touches, like the black-and-white masked Italian gondoliers and an impressively eerie score from Oscar-winning Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadøttir (“Joker”). The movie is dark, dreary, and stormy, but the well-crafted, unsettling mood cannot counter a predictable script, a death knell for any mystery. Red herrings and misdirections abound. Despite those frustrations, Branagh, the actor, commands your gaze as the iconic Poirot. He is the main attraction, and with more than 30 Poirot novels to choose from, I hope he doesn’t stop at three.
‘A Haunting in Venice’
Rating: PG-13 for some strong violence, disturbing images, and mature thematic elements.
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Michelle Yeoh
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Michael Green
Running time: 103 minutes
Where to watch: In theaters Friday
Grade: B-
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