“Death on the Nile” Review: Horrific Love Killing in Dark Humanity

“Death on the Nile” is a 2022 suspenseful mystery film directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring actors Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Tom Bateman, Emma Mackey.

The plot tells the story of Poirot, the world’s top detective, who is invited by a newlyweds to board a cruise ship on the Nile River, but another murder occurs on board.

Did a rich girl who inherited billions of property marry a scumbag by mistake?

Poirot must find the culprit among the guests, each with a motive and suspicion, and heal their loss of loved ones.

Everyone has motives and suspicions

In 2017, “Murder on the Orient Express” directed and acted by Kenneth Branagh, with the suspenseful murder on the train and the reasoning of the detective Poirot, revealed the truth of the final shocking ending, and gained many audiences. ‘s praise.

After five years, Kenneth Branagh re-adapted Agatha Christie’s novel and launched the sequel “Death on the Nile”.

Under the luxurious cast of Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer, can they hand over a dazzling transcript with the complicated case?

I believe this makes the audience curious and looking forward to it.

Detective Poirot of “Death on the Nile”

The story of “Death on the Nile” begins in Belgium in 1914, when a young Poirot and his teammates were in the trenches defending against the German attack during the First World War.

One day, the captain suddenly received an order from the superior to ask the troops to cooperate with the poison gas to attack.

Although crossing No Man’s Land was almost a suicide mission, Poirot used his keen observation to predict the direction of the wind, and in the end he led his companions to victory.

However, even if he can defeat the enemy with his wit, Poirot can’t save the captain who has been taking care of him these days.

He accidentally hit a trap set by the enemy and died, and Poirot was also injured in the right face.

But even so, his fiancée, Kathleen, still sticks to Poirot, and suggests that he grow a beard to cover up his horrific scars.

Therefore, “Death on the Nile” deliberately mentions Poirot’s former love in the opening credits, which seems to establish the theme of the whole film.

The story behind “Death on the Nile”

In London in 1937, “Death on the Nile” protagonist Poirot came to a lively club, and the singer Salome was singing jazz to the audience.

Although he still observes the people around him with keen eyes as always, Poirot after many years is no longer the young man in front of him.

He has become quite eccentric, and even the number of dessert plates on the table can’t be odd, which is his insistence.

At this time, however, there is a big man in the club, played by Gal Gadot as Linnet, one of the richest women in the world today, inheriting his parents’ legacy.

Jacqueline, who originally danced with her fiancé Simon on the dance floor, saw her best friend Linnet, and quickly introduced her ambitious but ordinary lover to her, hoping that Linnet would give Simon a job at her manor.

Although Linnet hired Simon right away, the two also seemed to have a love affair on the dance floor, which made Jacqueline look uncomfortable.

The Murder Behind “Death on the Nile”

Six months later, “Death on the Nile” protagonist Poirot went on vacation to Egypt to admire the majestic view of the pyramids.

There, he met his friend Bouc, who was flying a kite on the pyramid, and was invited to a luxurious wedding by him.

But what Poirot didn’t expect was that the bride and groom at this wedding were the men and women he had previously observed at the club from a distance – Linnet and Simon.

So on the surface, it looks like a happy life, but in fact, every guest at the “Death on the Nile” wedding has a different plan.

Some people coveted Linnet’s money, and some people wanted to pursue Linnet but were intercepted by Simon who was unknown.

Not to mention that Jacqueline, who was robbed of her husband by her good best friend, followed them closely like a ghost.

The turbulent conflicts and contradictions of everyone under the table also make this day that should be celebrated happily hide a dangerous murderous intention.

Cruise ship scene from “Death on the Nile”

To this end, Linnet and Simon find the protagonist detective Poirot of “Death on the Nile”, and entrust him to help get rid of his girlfriend Jacqueline, who is obviously unstable in mental state, and ensure the safety of their lives and property.

They also invited Poirot to accompany the guests on their “honeymoon trip”, cruising the Nile on a luxury yacht and enjoying the beautiful riverside scenery along the way.

Therefore, “Death on the Nile” gathered around Linnet in the same place with all the guests who had their own connections behind their backs.

The cruise ship Poirot is on is like the Orient Express of “Murder on the Orient Express”.

“Death on the Nile” joins this closed space like The snowstorm villa model, and also gathers characters, motives, stage, and detectives, which constitute the basic elements of a reasoning case.

Case Reasoning for “Death on the Nile”

Interestingly, “Death on the Nile” took a whole hour to lay out the plot, explain the background of the story, and the complicated relationship between Linnet and Simon and Jacqueline, before the case that happened on the Nile River was officially launched.

That night Linnet took sleeping pills and went to bed early, and Jacqueline, who had bought a ticket to board the ship, accidentally shot Simon in the leg because of his words.

Although both of them were fine in the end, Linnet, the heroine of the honeymoon, was killed that night.

Since the murderer was on this ship, “Death on the Nile” detective Poirot also took up the task of finding the real murderer and began to question each suspected guest one by one.

Poirot uncovers their hidden secrets and backgrounds based on clues left on the ship, his prior investigations, and precise judgment, observation, and reasoning skills.

In doing so, he reconstructs the development of “Death on the Nile”, the carefully planned modus operandi, and the true identities of the perpetrators.

The Humanity of “Death on the Nile”

Both Jacqueline and Simon have perfect alibi because of the shooting, the nurse who was taken away by Linnet’s father, the godmother who was the heir to the estate and the nurse’s lover, the cousin who took Linnet’s property by virtue of her position, and who pursued Linnet The doctor, to the singer who was discriminated against by Linnet because of his race as a child.

These guests, who all have murder motives, who is the mastermind behind this case?

I love that Poirot in “Death on the Nile” is a pompous and suspicious detective who, while delving into every little detail and questioning it, is also touched by every event and character’s death Plot description.

Just like Poirot’s failure to save the captain and the loss of his fiancée in the opening film, he seems ruthless when he interrogates others, most people also think that detectives should be completely geographical when handling cases.

But Poirot isn’t a cold machine after all, and he’s just as miserable as anyone else.

Meaning of “Death on the Nile”

“Death on the Nile” finally revealed the truth of the case, it was Linnet’s husband Simon and Jacqueline. These two people who were originally considered the most unlikely, carefully planned this murder for gain.

Jacqueline pretended to shoot Simon with a blank bullet, allowing him to use the time everyone went to the doctor to kill Linnet.

Then, under Simon’s instruction, Jacqueline, who is not suspected of committing the crime, kills people who know him one by one to cover up his criminal facts and create a perfect alibi.

But that’s not “Death on the Nile”‘s most appealing charm.

For a long time, Agatha Christie’s novels are not only inexplicable murder cases, the motive behind the crime and the theme of discussion are the most fascinating parts of the whole work.

Just like “Death on the Nile”, two people who seem to hate each other on the surface are actually in love with each other.

How much sacrifice can we make for love? Is it possible to use all means desperately, just to spend the rest of your life with your partner?

Love is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous.

But perhaps man is such a contradictory creature, knowing that he will push himself into the fire pit, but he can’t help but keep going forward and following.

Gal Gadot of “Death on the Nile”

But even “Death on the Nile” has Agatha Christie’s excellent text, flamboyant cast, and well-crafted scenes, but the classic vibe goes from charming to lifeless once it’s overdone.

It’s clear that “Death on the Nile” doesn’t make an adaptation that will satisfy fans in 2022 at a more advanced technical level.

Not only is the overall ambience dull and bland, but the cast’s eccentric accents and soulless character creation also prevent it from delivering on the work’s true charm.

And the most obvious of them is the heroine Gal Gadot, although the audience can feel from her gesture that she is ready for the upcoming “Cleopatra” in the future.

But this time in “Death on the Nile” she lacked emotional lines and insufficient acting skills to support the role, and completely played Linnet as a dead man with a bright appearance.

She didn’t show the story and character background that this character should have, which also caused the whole murder case to lack the most crucial deep color, which can only be said to be a pity.

Disadvantages of “Death on the Nile”

Although audiences are watching “Death on the Nile” alone, there may be a way to watch it in theaters.

Aside from its slow pace, the film doesn’t let the audience find too many major flaws, and the audience is immersed in the mystery created by the murder.

But if you compare “Death on the Nile” with 2019’s “Knives Out,” there’s a huge gap between the two right away.

Whether a movie can catch the audience’s attention lies in the “life force” that makes the audience curious about each character and each opponent’s play.

Perhaps the latest thing the audience will notice is the unsatisfactory performance of the characters and actors in the whole film of “Death on the Nile”, which greatly reduces the suspenseful atmosphere of the story and the entertainment it can bring to the audience.

But I have to say that the performance of the actors largely depends on the script and the director’s directing strength.

Looking at the two works “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”, there are too many bridges in which “interpretive dialogue” is used to explain the background of each character and its relationship with the deceased.

All of this complicates the story, and in turn makes the audience impatient with the movie.

“Death on the Nile” Review Conclusion

Overall, “Death on the Nile” is definitely a mixed bag.

Although the film went to Egypt to shoot on the spot, it tried to take the audience through a strong exotic atmosphere and magnificent scenery.

The on-the-spot framing reveals the mystery of the Nile River and the surrounding pyramids, while giving the film an unpredictable sense of suspense and strengthening the entire work’s discussion of love and human nature.

But in addition to the gorgeous scenes and lined up cast, the poor story content greatly reduces the above efforts.

Perhaps when adapting Agatha Christie’s novels in the future, instead of focusing on telling a story in “Death on the Nile”, I think the director should think more about the meaning of shooting this work now, and how to make the film innovative .

Whether it can arouse the audience’s curiosity about the follow-up development during the viewing process is always the most important.

In today’s era of online streaming, without the constraints of the theater, as long as the audience is not interested, the entire movie can be turned off with a single button.

“Death on the Nile” end credits

Hence the final Easter egg in “Death on the Nile” before the subtitles, Poirot shaves his beard, although there is a sense that he is letting go of his grief for his deceased wife.

But personally, watching this Poirot lose his most iconic features, one can’t help but wonder if this is a hint that Kenneth Branagh is about to step down as Poirot?

Alright, you’ve been nominated for Best Director Oscar for “Belfast” this year, and Poirot should be almost done with two episodes of this series.

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