A Haunting in Venice

 

This is the Movie we covered on the Lambcast this week, and usually, by the time of the podcast recording, I will have posted my comments. That did not happen this week. We had a full slate of activities that kept me busy and then I did the show, edited and posted the podcast, edited and posted a You Tube Video of the podcast, and finally remembered I'd not put up my own thoughts on my own site. That is about to be rectified.

"A Haunting in Venice" is the new Hercule Poirot film from director Kenneth Branagh. I have long been a fan of the theatrical films featuring the Belgium sleuth, although I have never read any of the Agatha Christie books that he sprang from. This is the third in the series from Branagh and it is quite a bit different from the previous two. "Murder on the Orient Express"  was a serviceable remake of the 1974 version, but lacked the romance of that earlier film. "Death on the Nile",  was delayed two years by the pandemic and only was released last year, which made this film feel like a very quick follow up. Nile was a lush film that compensated for the convoluted machinations of the plot by creating a setting that was exotic and looked inviting (even if at times it was just CGI magic). "Haunting" scales back on the landscapes but ups the directorial flourishes with Dutch angles and fisheye lenses around every corner. The plot contains a supernatural element that also allows for some horror tropes to creep in, jump scares and reflections especially are dominate. 

Michelle Yeoh and Tina Fey are the two biggest names in the cast, and after the star packed casts of the other films, this story could use the lower profile performers more convincingly. I did wonder whether Micelle Yeoh's casting was a stunt, because there is not any background on the character, but after the movie gets going, you will probably not feel that way about her presence.   Tina Fey on the other hand was an interesting take on the character and her more modern persona fits better with the Post War aesthetic that the story focuses on. 

As is usual for these plots, there are several false trails and a couple of red herrings that keep things interesting. The supernatural elements all will be explained by Poirot at the end of the film, in a satisfactory way, and although the resolution feels a bit abrupt, it was not the sudden switch in suspects that so often occurs in TV mysteries.  Once again the cinematography was exemplary, Haris Zambarloukos has been working with Branagh for a long time and seems to understand the mood he is looking for in the spooky old house on the canal. Jude Hill the young actor from Branagh's terrific "Belfast" joins the cast as well as a boy who is both creepy and sympathetic at the same time. 

My guess is that this film will close out the Poirot films for Branagh, three seems to be a magic number after all, but I enjoyed all the films enough to recommend them and I would be happy to see this one again. If you are looking for an adult Halloween film that does not involve maniacs dismembering the cast, this would be a solid pick for your evening.