A Hauntingly Good Time

A Haunting in Venice sees Kenneth Branagh strut his stuff as legendary detective Hercule Poirot for a third time and it just might be his best outing yet.

Unlike Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile we aren't sticking closely to an original Agatha Christie book this time round, with screenwriter Micheal Green building his own tale around the very loose bones of lesser known Poirot story Hallowe'en Party. This allows the script to written in a way directly suited for film, weaving twists and turns into a compelling mystery and layering in some meditations on spirituality and purpose. There are even some light horror elements with the possibility that real ghosts may be involved in the goings on.

The movie begins with an aged Poirot (the film is set ten years after Death on the Nile) living in Venice as a recluse with a security guard keeping at bay dozens of people looking for the famous detectives help. An old friend visits and convinces him to help here expose a spiritual medium leading them both to attend a halloween party where, you'll be shocked to hear, a murder takes place. Obviously there is no way Hercule is going to let this slide so its retirement be damned and time to get sleuthing.

Despite having a significantly smaller budget than Death on the Nile this film looks significantly better. Where its predecessor had Egyptian landmarks rendered in dodgy CGI, A Haunting in Venice has the classy backdrop of Venice and a beautifully gothic grand old house for the mystery to take place in. This gives everything a unique atmosphere and makes this mystery feel different from other Poirot capers.

The cast is no less extravagant with another all star line up including the likes of Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan. The standout newcomer is Michelle Yeoh as the alleged spiritual medium but it's really Branagh's show. He has a whale of a time taking the detective from world weary recluse to preening peacock and with a script built fully around his interpretation of Poirot he has some killer lines.

This is all backed up with some full force directing from Branagh with crazy angles and shots mixed with quick editing to lean into the spooky old house ambiance. He may be as classic as they come in front of the camera but behind it Kenny dances to his own beat. I guess that's how he was able to deliver something as praised as Belfast and something as derided as Artemis Fowl within a year of each other.

The only people likely to be disappointed by A Haunting in Venice are those looking for the scares to go beyond the simply atmospheric but anyone looking for a good mystery, or just some sumptuous film making, are going to more than happy with their hour and three quarters on canals.

8 bears dancing the tango out of 10.

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