Film review: ‘A HAUNTING IN VENICE’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Following Murder on The Orient Express and Death On The Nile, A Haunting In Venice is the third entry in Kenneth Branagh’s vivid, energetic but at times erratic and overcooked Agatha Christie adaptations.  Like the two previous films, this one benefits from a few standout performances and its probing of detective Hercule Poirot’s formidable intellect and complex psyche.  More than those films, though, Branagh’s stylistic indulgences as director often overwhelm the film.

Based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party, A Haunting in Venice pits the famous Belgian detective’s rigorously rational scientific mind against claims of ghosts and supernatural powers. Exhausted by the clamouring world, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is in semi-retirement in his upscale Venice apartment protected by a large security person (Riccardo Scamarcio).  An unexpected visit by old friend, murder mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) lures Poirot from his sanctuary to a Halloween party at a creepy Venetian mansion owned by the mysterious Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). Dark stories of the descent into madness and shocking death of the Drake’s daughter swirl around the imposing candlelit mansion.  A séance led by medium Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) in which she seemingly connects with the daughter’s spirit provides the backdrop for what else but multiple murders.  Plagued by strange, seemingly unearthly visions, Poirot must once again sort fact from fantasy to unmask the killer.

This film is as much about Poirot confronting his ghosts as it is about him dealing with malevolent spirits or garden variety murderers.  Traumatised by the madness he witnessed in two world wars, he questions the rational nature of the human mind, including his own.  This exploration of the lead character’s mindset almost elevates this film above the murder mystery into a more intriguing psychological thriller akin to Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. Unfortunately, stylistic choices too often undercut the film’s effectiveness.  Manic editing, unusual angles and pop-out scares, presumably designed to create the uneasy, disorienting sensation of a horror movie and to reflect Poirot’s troubled and uncertain state of mind (and possibly to try and invoke directors like Orson Welles), work fairly well at first but start to grate.  This approach chops up much of the film into unsatisfying fragments and deprives it of that English drawing room charm for which Christie’s stories are famous.

The film is held together, though, by some strong performances, notably Tina Fey’s sly but perky Ariadne Oliver who appears to be based on Agatha Christie herself and Michelle Yeoh’s unnervingly confident psychic.  If Branagh had toned down the frenzied directorial approach it would have given these and other performers even more opportunity to embellish their characters and deliver a more entertaining film. Similarly, the film contains some witty and insightful dialogue but its effectiveness is diminished as the film jumps around madly from one character to another.

There’s enough of the typical murder mystery pleasures here but the opportunity for a much better film has been lost amid some needlessly extravagant filmmaking.

Nick’s rating: **1/2

Genre: Drama/ Murder mystery/ thriller.

Classification: M.

Director(s): Kenneth Branagh.

Release date: 14th Sept 2023.

Running time: 103 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

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