Death on the Nile (Mini-Review)

Death on the Nile is the third adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is recently married and having her honeymoon on the Nile with her friends. Hercule Poirot has been dragged into joining the honeymoon by a friend. Everything seems fine until Linnet is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Now it's up to Poirot to figure out who committed the murder and why before more people die. Death on the Nile was released in 2022. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh. It stars Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Kenneth Branagh, and Russell Brand.

This movie is a good look at love. The highs of that emotion as well as all the lows. Hercule Poirot has been separated from his wife, for reasons that are explained later on in the movie, and so has decided never to love again. This has devastating results for his fellow passengers. Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle believes love has no rules and can be heartless in her romantic pursuits. There are also other people who react more than psychotic because of how they perceive love.

This movie is more than gorgeous and I'm glad I was able to experience it on the big screen. The set pieces are all lovely to look at as well as the actors who grace the screen. It is more than easy to get excited about how expensive Linnet's honeymoon is. Their ship allows them to drink as much as they want and enjoy the sights. Besides the murder that happens, I would have loved to go on the honeymoon. It will be interesting how my perceptions of the movie change when viewing it at home.

The answers about who committed the murder and why are answered early on. But like all great mysteries, information revealed as the film goes on might muddy the waters. I got confused myself but was always paying attention to a few key factors. Two songs near the beginning of the film do reveal a lot while just blending into the background for the most part.

I hardly recognized Russell Brand in this film. While I haven't seen much of his previous filmography, I always thought of him as a comedian. It never occurred to me that he could be a good dramatic actor. His beard in this film really threw me off. I kept thinking he looked really familiar but I couldn't place his face. Then as the credits started and I saw his name everything clicked into place.

Hercule Poirot's mustache gets a backstory in this film. It turns out that he was disfigured during a war and someone he loved suggested growing a mustache to hide the injury. While I'm not too familiar with Christie's work, I know Poirot's mustache is a huge part of his character. So getting an answer to why he had it was interesting. Plus it helped to show the movie's themes of love.

I would highly recommend Death on the Nile to those looking for a mystery.