In 2017, acclaimed actor/filmmaker Kenneth Branaugh brought the highly decorative detective Hercule Poirot to the big screen with ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ which became a decent hit. Poirot returned in 2022 with ‘Death on the Nile,’ which was still a moderate success despite a smaller box office take.
Now, the one and only Hercule Poirot is back for another intriguing mystery in ‘A Haunting in Venice.’
‘A Haunting in Venice’ is set in eerie, post-WWII Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth.
Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo.
When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
‘A Haunting in Venice’ is a thrilling mystery that does an amazing job keeping you entertained and makes you wonder what will happen next. The latest Hercule Poirot case delivers quite a few great twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until the very end.
There are a few moments scattered throughout that may make you jump a little. The seance sequence is really thrilling and there are times throughout the film that will make you wonder whether the house is truly haunted or not. The film, which is set on Halloween, isn’t really big on the scares. But I’ll definitely say that the thrills are great.
Kenneth Branaugh gives another great performance as the world-renowned sleuth.
From seeing his portrayal of the detective in this film and the two previous entries, it looks like Branaugh enjoys portraying the character. The entire case does a great job as well and it was different seeing comedic actress Tina Fey in a mostly dramatic role.
‘A Haunting in Venice’ also does a great job mixing a murder mystery story with supernatural elements. The mixing of those elements really makes the film more intriguing and keeps the mystery flowing. I really enjoyed how everything wrapped up and will definitely read the novel that the film is loosely based on. Some of the Venice scenery is amazing to look at as well.
So, if you’re in the mood for an interesting murder mystery, then come on down to the Dietrich and help Hercule Poirot solve another case in ‘A Haunting in Venice.’
Some of the cast includes: Kenneth Branaugh as Hercule Poirot; Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver; Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake; Jamie Dorman as Dr. Leslie Ferrier; Emma laird as Desdemona Holland; Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard; Riccardo Scarmarcio as Vitale Portfoglio; Camille Cottin as Olga Seminoff and Michelle Yeoh as Mrs. Reynolds.
‘A Haunting in Venice’ is written by Michael Green (Death on the Nile; Jungle Cruise; The Call of the Wild) and directed by Kenneth Branaugh (Death on the Nile; My Week with Marilyn; Belfast).
A third Hercule Poirot mystery was revealed in March 2022 and filming began Halloween 2022. This film is loosely based on the 1969 Agatha Christie novel ‘Hallowe’en Party.’
‘A Haunting in Venice’ is rated PG-13 for some strong violence, disturbing images and thematic elements and has a running time of 103 minutes.
I have a couple more film festival selections that I am planning on checking out, and also on the new release front ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ and ‘Dumb Money.’ And, don’t forget to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook to see what else I will be working on.
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