MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Supernatural Mystery/Stars: Kyle Allen, Kenneth Branagh, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, Michelle Yeoh/Runtime: 103 minutes
I think it’s safe to start this review off by letting you in on a little secret about me that you might not know already dear reader. That being that I love with all my heart a really good ghost story. To be sure, there is a time and a place where I will watch a slice of cinema in the horror genre of movie magic that has both gore and blood in equal amount and, depending on the overall quality, find myself either enjoying it or really wishing I had put something else on before I’m about to go to sleep. Having said that though, there really is something about a slow-burn scary story that relies not only on atmosphere and mood rather than the aforementioned blood and guts, but also which depends on making what you don’t see infinitely scarier than what you do see that just really sings a chord that I have consistently more often than not found to be quite harmonious. As a result, perhaps this is why I have found myself not only telling such tales as a youngster in Boy Scouts around a slowly dying campfire late at night, but also why I enjoy such fare as Disney’s animated take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Others from 2001, The Haunting from 1963 (the 1999 one can stay on the dumpster fire for all I care), and The Innocents from 1961 respectively. Incidentally however I guess there is now also another title that I can add to that aforementioned list and that would be the new release, and slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today incidentally, A Haunting in Venice. Indeed I know I have said to people in the past that should iconic film helmer/actor Kenneth Branagh choose to keep conjuring up films where he plays the iconic fictional detective Hercule Poirot I would always watch them, but I never expected he would go this route with the character. Having said that though, I am certainly glad he did since I really did dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. Indeed there might be a few issues here and there, but with the aid of slick and stylish work done behind the camera, a collection of wonderful and locked-in performances from a more than capable and most assuredly talented cast of players in front of the camera, and a delightful spooky aura permeating the entire affair from beginning to end there is no denying that A Haunting in Venice is one spooktacular murder mystery that is sure to please those of you in the mood for a wonderfully old school Hollywood whodunit and those of you who are ready half a month early to begin getting those delightful Halloween chills tingling down your spine in equal measure.
The plot is as follows: Picking up some time in the aftermath of the events of 2022’s take on Death on the Nile, A Haunting in Venice gets its spooky yarn underway as we see that our favorite brilliant detective Hercule Poirot, as well as his glorious moustache, has decided to step away from being the world class master detective he is known for being and instead made the choice to, more or less, take up a much more low key and run of the mill life in no less a lovely locale than Venice, Italy. A life that, despite being consistently and relentlessly besieged by people who want him to lend his expertise to their various conundrums, also sees our hero seldom leave his home and not really want to deal with anyone who might wish to pay him a visit. Instead, it seems that the only mysteries our hero seems content to solve are not ones that deal with murder or other malicious mayhem, but rather if he gave the plants in his garden enough food and if he remembered to eat some pastries for the day. This manages to change though with the reentrance of a dear friend of our intrepid hero’s/ author of some regard and note by the name of Ariadne Oliver. We soon learn that the reason Miss Oliver is at Poirot’s doorstep is because she is wanting to invite him to attend both a Halloween party and, upon the party’s conclusion, a séance that has been put together by a noted performer of the operatic stage named Rowena Drake that is to take place in her palazzo. We soon see that, despite his serious misgivings about really wanting to go out and interact with others, our hero begrudgingly agrees to go. Of course, it should come as no surprise to learn that when the night of the party arrives we see that Poirot is content to just merely exchange pleasantries with everyone and nothing more….at least that is until one Joyce Reynolds arrives and quickly makes clear the real reason for the night’s chief festivity aka the séance. That being to try and get in touch with Rowena’s tragically taken far too soon daughter Alicia from the other side. Of course, as he quickly and adamantly makes clear, Poirot doesn’t exactly what you might call a loving relationship with anything tied to the supernatural due in no small part to the unfortunate smorgasbord of terror and horror he saw during his time in combat. However when not only does one of the guests wind up being *surprise surprise* murdered and other seemingly unnatural events start to occur, we see that it is up to Poirot to dust off those infamous little grey cells of his in order to not only find the murderer, but also determine if what is going on can be attributed to a rational explanation or if maybe just maybe something is afoot that even the great Hercule Poirot cannot begin to comprehend…..
Now right off, it is worth noting that the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema is top-notch in nearly every sense of the word. This starts with the fact that, incredibly, this slice of cinema manages to be just as gorgeous and beautiful to look at as the other 2 entries in Branagh’s Poirot adaptations even if it’s significantly spookier and bleaker than Orient Express and Nile respectively. Indeed not only does returning Branagh collaborator Haris Zambarloukos do an exquisite job with the exterior shots of Venice especially for sequences at night with candles a’glow as Poirot and the others make their way through the canals by boat, but even the interior shots of the main palazzo setting give off a wonderful vibe of being equal parts creepy and decrepit in equal measure. I mean I know this is supposed to be Itay in the aftermath of World War 2, but there are moments where you might find yourself wondering since the vibe of the locales present feels more medieval in nature. Yet despite possessing a level of gothic glamour I haven’t seen utilized so effectively in a film since perhaps Crimson Peak all the way back in 2015 there is a negative present. That being that whenever Branagh decides to show us possible apparitions and other potential otherworldly occurrences, he does so in a way that is the typical, and fairly lazy if I’m being honest, way of jolting them on to the screen rather suddenly with a loud noise accompaniment and thus ensuring that they will make the audience jump in their seats at the very least a little bit. Alongside that however, we also see that this film’s script is able to do a phenomenal job of exploring with us a rather distinct take on Poirot than we got in the last two films. That being one who is not in the seemingly prime of his career, but rather one whose life of catching criminals plus military servitude to say nothing of being a part of Europe in the aftermath of the 2nd World War has resulted in him being slightly damaged by his experiences at best and at worst not entirely on top of his intellectual A-game when the film starts respectively. Thus by putting our main hero in a spot where he is very much not at his best or brightest we see that this not only humanizes the character, but it also allows the more unnerving moments present in this film to both organically elevate the suspense whilst also making you actually doubt for once if Poirot is actually going to be able to get the bottom of this puzzler. Of course, there is no denying that a lot of why this film works on the level it does would have to be due to the appearance of several key instances where this film’s scribe and Branagh at the helm do a wonderful job of placing little clues here and there for you, the movie goer to pick up on all whilst keeping the larger solution still just out of arm’s reach. Yet whilst this patient and methodical manner of keeping the audience invested might be too much for some films to handle let alone some audience members to get behind, it manages to work quite well here. Not only because Branagh treats Poirot as a three-dimensional human being rather than a seemingly omniscient individual, but because he and the film’s scribe also do their part to invest us in the cast of characters at the heart of the mystery as much as the mystery itself.
Speaking of the cast of characters I guess now would be a good time to tell you that this slice of spooky cinema is the blessed recipient of a collection of truly bootiful and well-done performances provided by a cast of committed and talented players. This *surprise surprise* starts with Branagh reprising his role of Hercule Poirot and he is absolutely wonderful here. Indeed not only is Branagh still making the most of this role, but (and just as important) the level of passion and joy he has in playing the character is most assuredly still there be it when he is interrogating a suspect or just enjoying a delicious baked good. With that in mind though, there is also no denying that (as previously stated) the case at the heart of this film does do a wonderful job at really challenging Poirot in a way that the first 2 movies really weren’t able to. Indeed by having Poirot try to utilize chilled to the bone logic to try and explain a lot of the rather otherworldly elements that he encounters in this film not does a great job at really giving Branagh a new path to take the character, but it also gives him a chance to show shades to Poirot that audiences really haven’t seen up to this point. Suffice it to say that, much as he did with Shakespeare at the beginning of his career, there is no denying that Branagh has taken the works of Agatha Christie and brought them to life for a new generation and it all starts with his iconic turn as the Queen of Crime’s most legendary character (though Miss Marple would definitely be a close second). Besides the wonderful work done here by Branagh, we also see that the film blesses him with a more than capable support cast ready to lend their talents to the film as well. This starts with none other than Tina Fey in the role of Poirot’s friend Ariadne Oliver and she’s actually really good here. Not just in the moments where the film requires her to lean into her comedic talents, but also in the moments where she very much operates as a lively and excitable individual designed to keep Poirot and audiences consistently on their toes. We also get a terrific performance here from Jamie Dornan as the tormented Dr. Leslie Ferrier. Indeed I know most people will immediately think of him as Christian Grey, but there is no denying that when given the right material Dornan actually can do more than be a pretty face and that is definitely the case here. Alongside the aforementioned cast members, we also see that Kelly Reilly (Beth from Yellowstone) does a grand job at not only bringing a style and grace to her character of Rowena Drake, but also the hidden away anguish that only comes when a mother prematurely loses her child and has never been able to fully move on from it. Out of everyone though I think the film MVP in the support cast has to be Michelle Yeoh in the role of the séance’s chief mystic Joyce Reynolds. Indeed I can’t go too far into detail on her particular character, but what I can tell you is that Yeoh does a fantastic job at giving us a character that right from the moment she appears on screen is able to conjure up a vibe of unpredictability for both Poirot, and by extension us as movie goers, as to if she is the real deal or just a scheming charlatan who is out to make a quick buck off a grieving mother’s desperation. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful efforts from such talents as Jude Hill, Kyle Allen, Emma Laird, and Ali Kahn to name but a few it’s clear that this film might have a few boo-boos here and there, but the work done by the cast is not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is A Haunting in Venice a perfect slice of spooky cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Honestly as much as I would love to say yes I also promised that I would never lie to you dear reader. At the same time does that mean that this is one movie that has no ghost of a chance at being good or is the worst thing to happen to spooky mystery movies since Eddie Murphy’s Haunted Mansion movie back in 2003? Thankfully, to both me and the 10 ulcers I got from that movie’s relief, I can also say that is most assuredly not the case either. Rather, I would say that this ominous and fleet of runtime spooky saga manages to showcase a wonderful versatility to the iconic detective Hercule Poirot that some might argue was missing from Branagh’s last two cinematic adaptations of the character’s multitude of iconic literary cases. As a result what we get here is less an exercise in suspense that Branagh’s first two entries were and more so a cinematic exercise that manages to contain an atmosphere that fringes on cold-blooded terror whilst also choosing to incorporate a mix of intriguing and unnerving thrown in for good measure courtesy of the film hurtling some darker elements and themes our way in this one. Any way you shake it however, there is no denying that with the aid of truly stunning and top-flight work behind the camera and on-point work from a game cast of players in front of the camera A Haunting in Venice is thankfully not a film that you are meant to ghost by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, this is one that most assuredly makes for a spooktacular 103 minute cinematic ride that you should definitely strive to check out in the dark silent (hopefully) theater especially now as the seasons begin to change, the air begins to turn a little cooler, the leaves begin to change their color, and just the teeniest tiniest hint of something creepy and otherworldly begins to enter your mind and starts to do its work on your imagination in the way that only a really good ghost story can conjure up. Make of that therefore what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give A Haunting in Venice “2023” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
