Kenneth Branagh's latest Hercule Poirot whodunit uses Venice as an ideally spooky backdrop for a deadly séance.
The director/star's third go at the celebrated sleuth is the first that strays from faithfully retelling an Agatha Christie tale. It’s also the best.
The first, Murder on the Orient Express, was a fun if over-familiar affair, highlighted by a notable interpretation of the Belgian sleuth’s legendary moustache that owed a lot to General Custer.
Unfortunately, Death on the Nile came along next and was duller than the recent Irish summer and as much of a wash-out.
This time around, Branagh borrowed the plot of Agatha Christie’s Halowe’en Party, and took it to Venice, the most atmospheric city on the planet. Especially if there's a film crew and dead bodies involved.
Understandably, A Haunting in Venice is visually reminiscent of Nicolas Roeg’s remarkable Don’t Look Now, quickly turning the uniquely romantic setting into a foreboding place. You could say they put the 'gone’ into gondola.
Anyway, the plot. Hercule Poirot is retired, uninterested in solving crimes and focusing instead on pastries. Then mystery novelist and long-time friend/collaborator Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey, impressively against type) turns up to tempt him with something less savoury.
Keen to expose a grifting psychic (Michelle Yeoh), she convinces him to attend a séance at a local palazzo, where the host (Kelly Reilly) hopes to contact her daughter, who fell to her death from one of the building’s balconies.
Naturally, it all kicks off and Poirot has a dead body to reignite his desire for deduction.
What follows is an entertaining blend of humour and spooky moments – Bob Hope's The Cat and Canary springs to mind – as the death rate rises and the truth is gradually revealed to Poirot.
Fans of Belfast will enjoy seeing Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill reunite as a father and son pairing - while Kelly Reilly, Kyle Allen and the rest do their best to avoid any unintentional colliding with furniture.
I bounced out of the screening, promising myself a return trip to Venice as soon as possible. No séances though.
