This mystery will bring you to far away places, where a couple is married and spends their honeymoon with close friends among the beautiful sites along the Nile River in Egypt. A fun time turns into murder and mystery as Agatha Christie’s famous detective finds himself in another predicament. Based on a 1937 Agatha Christie Novel by the same name and 1978 remake this story will keep you wondering who could do these terrible things.
Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), famous Belgian detective, that you may remember from “Murder on the Orient Express”, is invited to the wedding of Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), a very wealthy woman who inherited her father’s riches, and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) an aristocrat.
While Hercule is there he observes the other invited guests and socialites at the wonderful affair. They include Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), Linnet’s godmother and socialite turned communist, Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French) Marie’s nurse and companion, Rosalie Otterbourne (Letitia Wright), a music business manager as well as Linnet’s old classmate, Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo), a jazz singer and Rosalie’s aunt, Katchadourian (Ali Fazal) Linnet’s cousin and head lawyer for her wealth.
Also on board is Windlesham (Russell Brand), a friend of Linnet’s and doctor, Mr. Bouc (Tom Bateman), close friend of Linnet and Hercule, Euphemia Bouc ( Annette Bening), Mother of Bouc, Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), friend of Linnet and former girlfriend of Simon, and Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie), the wedding and events planner and Linnet’s assistant.
Through all the festivities and fun there are some animosities filled with hatred lingering under the surface. Poirot and the rest of the guests are unaware of the dangers they are about to plunge into.
Director and actor Kenneth Branagh does a great job transporting the world of Agatha Christie to the big screen. He goes even further with excellent cinematography bringing that part of the world to life with the amazing scenic views throughout the journey. Branagh develops the storyline very nicely as he did with Murder on the Orient Express building the mystery around each of the guests involved this adventurous tale.
This adventure will keep you wondering who did it, who is keeping secrets, and who is next. The famous novels written of Agatha Christie have their way of making things seem obvious, but don’t always end up that way. Her main character, Hercule Poirot, provides different ways of finding out who the murderer really is in each of her stories. This very entertaining story is very engaging and will definitely engage early on and hold your interest till the revealing conclusion.
Final Comment: I based my grade on the wonderful storyline and the delightful performance from the actors. My rating 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Additional Film Information
Cast: Tom Bateman, Kenneth Branagh, Russell Brand, Emma Mackey, Armie Hammer. Annette Bening, Letitia Wright, Ann Turkel, Jennifer Saunders, and Gal Gadot.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Crime, Drama, and Mystery.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images, and sexual material.
Running Time: 2 hours and 7 minutes
Release Date: February 11, 2022
Distributed By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Release In: Dolby Vision, 4K, and Standard.