A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice is very different from Kenneth Branagh's previous Poirot films. The less star-studded cast and smaller budget are not problem, the effort to use enclosed spaces for clever and spectacular camera games is nice, and it manages to be pleasantly creepy. An interesting and pleasant change. If Branagh plays with atmosphere and genre like this in future adaptations, I'll be happy to be there. (13/09/2023)

This time Kenneth Branagh took a lesser-known detective story and went to post-war Venice during Halloween: a promising constellation at first sight. The setting of an old, "cursed" house and the ubiquitous voice of a child "from beyond the grave" added a slight horror touch to the film, helping to build the oppressive, perhaps even paranoid atmosphere of a story full of superstition, ghosts and personal trauma. Still, I had the feeling during the screening that there was something not quite right about the film: whether it was the casting of Tina Fey, the staging of some scenes purely for effect, or the rather hasty revelation of the perpetrator and their subsequent punishment. Given the premise and the reviews, I had overly high expectations for the film, which were not satisfactorily met. I would be lying, however, if I said I didn't have fun in the cinema. Maybe one day I will return to Venice and reconsider my opinion. (20/09/2023)

Admittedly made for less money, but by a huge margin the best Poirot by Kenneth Branagh. Intimate, elegant, understated, atmospheric. Where the Orient Express and  the Nile are overwrought and digital of, the beautiful mysterious residence in Venice makes do with playful camera angles, and without any CGI gimmicks. The horror overlay a nice bonus, oddly enough it holds up throughout the film, it wasn't just a trailer attraction. (22/09/2023)

I think this is Branagh's best Poirot (so far?). The bet on a lesser-known case paid off, putting him in Venice was a great idea. And the best thing is the way Branagh the director enjoys the cramped setting of the old dank house falling apart, how strangely unsettling the shots from different angles are, how beautifully suspenseful and at times pure horror. The unravelling of the mystery may come as no surprise to those unfamiliar with the subject source material, but again, that's not really the point. It's about what the case leads Poirot himself to do and that, in turn, is absolutely brilliantly written and acted. (03/10/2023)

Kenneth Branagh has conceived the third installment of his Poirot series in a completely different way than the first two, with a horror, schizophrenic atmosphere that flirts with the mystery genre and leaves the hero initially floundering and unsure. Haris Zambarloukos's camera alternates between unconventional angles of waterlogged rooms and views of a drizzly Venice in an amazing way, perfectly emphasizing that uncertainty. The sound design is amazing and really stands out in Dolby Atmos. The plot, for me, is unorthodox and the denouement is unexpected. This concept suited me very well and I'm looking forward to the sequel. (14/09/2023)