A HAUNTING IN VENICE
Cert 12A
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat, violence, suicide references
The internet is awash with articles claiming this is the best Poirot movie starring Kenneth Branagh.
We loved Murder On the Orient Express and were less keen on Death On The Nile, but as we wash up 2023, it seemed imperative that we didn't miss out on A Haunting In Venice.
We were disappointed that it didn't meet the acclaim or our expectations.
Once again, Branagh stars and directs as Poirot has retired to the Floating City, refusing to take cases despite queues at his door.
Indeed, he has a bodyguard (Riccardo Scamarcio) to keep away those who will not take no for an answer.
However, his interest is peaked when an author friend (Tina Fey) turns up out of the blue and invites him to a seance.
Of course, Poirot is scathing of those who say they can bring back the dead, but his pal pleads with him to prove that this clairvoyant (Michelle Yeoh) is a fake.
After he finally yields, it transpires that the psychic has been hired to evoke the spirit of a young woman who fell from a window and drowned in one of Venice's canals.
But before the event can begin, Poirot and the other guests must endure the Halloween party of a group of the city's orphans.
Yep, an opportunity was grasped to lay on another layer of spookiness.
Indeed, that is what A Hunting In Venice is all about. There is a sense of the supernatural, which makes it different from its predecessors.
All of the action is contained within the house and is connected to the aforementioned death.
Inevitably, additional killings follow but they lack the shock factor we particularly enjoyed in Murder On The Orient Express.
Indeed, it is hard to pinpoint (maybe Branagh's Poirot is just not so fresh the third time around or maybe the cast is less spiky), but, for us, despite eerie shenanigans, this picture was missing zest.
Nevertheless, Poirot 4 is on the horizon.
Reasons to watch: Branagh's Poirot
Reasons to avoid: Lacks the spark of the previous movies
Laughs: None
Jumps: One
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10
Did you know? A Haunting In Venice is inspired by Dame Agatha Christie's 1969 novel Hallowe'en Party with the setting changed from the UK to Venice, Italy
The final word. Kenneth Branagh: " It should look effortless and invisible, so I get a big kick out of the challenge of trying to make it look as easy as Agatha Christie does." Hollywood Reporter
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