“Death on the Nile" is a suspenseful speculative movie released in 2022, also known as "Murder on the Nile", directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring actors Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Tom Bateman, and Emma Mackey, the plot is about the world's top detective, Poirot, who is invited by a newlywed couple to board the "Karnak" cruise ship on the Nile River. "cruise ship, but the ship again with a murder case. Is the rich girl who inherited a billion-dollar fortune the wrong man to cause murder? Poirot must find the real killer from each of the guests who have motives and suspicion, and heal the pain of their lost friends and relatives.
Everyone Has a Motive and a Suspicion
In 2017, Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in "Murder on the Orient Express", which received a lot of positive reviews from the audience for the suspenseful murder case that took place on the train, and the ultimate shocking ending revealed through the deduction of the detective "Poirot". The sequel "Death on the Nile", which was adapted from Agatha Christie's novel again after 5 years, will deliver a glowing report card with the bewildering case under the luxurious cast of Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer? I believe the audience is curious and looking forward to it.
In the"Death on the Nile" detective Poirot
The story of "Death on the Nile" opens in Belgium in 1914, when it was during the First World War, the young Poirot and fellow soldiers in the trenches to defend against the German attack, day the captain suddenly received the order of the superior officer to ask the troops to cooperate with the gas attack, although crossing the uninhabited land is almost a suicide mission, Poirot through the keen observation to predict the wind direction, and eventually led the companions’ Victory.
But even with the talent to defeat the enemy, "Death on the Nile" protagonist Poirot was not able to save these days are very concerned about their captain, he accidentally hit the enemy's pre-set traps killed, and Poirot's right face was also blown up, but even so, fiancée Catherine still for Poirot, suggesting that he grow a beard to cover up the horrific scars. Therefore, "Death on the Nile" deliberately mentions Poirot's former lover at the beginning of the film, which also seems to lay the theme of the whole movie.
Background of "Death on the Nile"
In London in 1937, the protagonist of "A Tragedy on the Nile", Poirot, arrives at a lively club where the singer Salome is singing jazz music to enchant the crowd. Although he is still observing the crowd around him with his usual keen eyes, years later Poirot is no longer the young lad in front of him and has become quite eccentric and torpid, even the dessert plate placed on the table can not be an odd number, which is his insistence.
However, at this time, the club came to a big shot, played by Gal Gadot "Lynnette" inherited his parents' estate, is one of the richest women in the world today, originally on the dance floor with his fiancé "Simon" dance "Jackie "When she sees her best friend Lynnette, she hastens to introduce her ambitious but an ordinary lover to her, hoping that Lynnette will give Simon a position working at her estate. Although Lynnette immediately hires Simon, the two also seem to rub shoulders with each other on the dance floor, leaving Jackie on the sidelines looking uncomfortable.
The killing machine behind "Death on the Nile"
Six months later, the protagonist of "Death on the Nile", Poirot, went to Egypt for a vacation to enjoy the majestic scenery of the pyramids, where he met his friend Booker who was flying a kite on the pyramids and was invited by him to a lavish wedding. But what Poirot did not expect was that the bride and groom of the wedding were the pair he had observed from afar at the club earlier - Lynnette and Simon.
So on the surface seems to be happy and harmonious, but, in "Death on the Nile" each of the wedding guests has their ulterior motives, some covet Lynnette's money, and some want to pursue Lynnette but was intercepted by the unknown Simon, not to mention that the best friend stole her husband Jackie, like a ghost to follow them. The conflict between each other under the surface of the conflict, but also let this should be happy to celebrate the day hidden dangerous murder.
The cruise ship scene from "Death on the Nile"
To this end, Lynnette and Simon, the couple approached the protagonist of "Death on the Nile" detective Poirot, in addition to entrusting him to help get rid of his girlfriend Jackie, who is mentally unstable, to ensure the safety of their lives and property, but also invited Poirot to follow the guests to participate in their "honeymoon trip", aboard a luxury yacht to cruise the Nile and enjoy The beautiful scenery of the river along the way.
Thus, "Death on the Nile" is like the "Orient Express" of "Murder on the Orient Express" with all the guests surrounding Lynnette and having their connections behind the scenes gathered in the same place, and the cruise ship "Carnac" where Poirot is staying is like the "Orient Express" of "Murder on the Nile". Like the "Orient Express", "Death on the Nile" joins this closed space like the "Blizzard Hill", which also gathers the characters, motive, stage, and detective, the four basic elements of a deduction case.
The case of "Death on the Nile
Interestingly, "Death on the Nile" spent a full hour doing the plot, explaining the background of the story, as well as Lynnette and Simon, a couple deep in the shadow of a possible threat to life by Jackie, before the official launch of the case on the Nile. That night Lynnette took sleeping pills to bed early, while Jackie bought her ticket to board the ship because of Simon's verbal stimulation, and accidentally shot him in the leg, although the two were eventually not seriously injured, the heroine of the honeymoon "Lynnette" was killed that night.
As the murderer was on the boat, "Death on the Nile" detective Poirot also shouldered the task of finding the real killer, began to ask questions to each of the guests with suspicion, and according to the clues left on the boat, his prior investigation, as well as accurate judgment, observation and reasoning skills, to uncover their unknown secrets and background, to reconstruct the development of "Death on the Nile", the elaborate “Death on the Nile” is a story of the development, the elaborate methods of committing the crime, and the true identity of the culprits.
The Humanity of "Death on the Nile"
Thus, with the perfect alibi of both Jackie and Simon for the shooting, "Death on the Nile" is a story of who was behind the murder, from the nurse whose family fortune was taken away by Lynnette's father, to the godmother who was the heir to the estate and the nurse's lover, the cousin who used his position to embezzle Lynnette's property, the doctor who courted Lynnette, and the singer who was discriminated against by Lynnette because of her race as a child. Who is behind this case?
I like the "Death on the Nile" film, Poirot as a proud and conceited, and suspicious detective, in the study of every small detail, questioning it, while also being touched by each incident and each character's death in the plot depiction. Just as in the opening credits Poirot failed to save the captain and the loss of his fiancée's pain, he interrogated others seem cold-blooded and ruthless, most people also believe that detectives should be completely rational when handling cases, but Poirot is not a cold machine after all, also with others in deep pain.
The meaning of the ending of "Death on the Nile"
So although "Death on the Nile" finally reveals the truth of the case, it is Lynnette's husband, Simon, and Jackie, the two people originally thought the most unlikely people, who orchestrated this "murder case", first Jackie pretended to shoot Simon with blanks so that he could use the time to go to the doctor to kill Lynnette, and then And then, under the instructions of Simon, to no suspicion of the murder of Jackie one by one to kill people in the know, to cover his crime, to create a perfect alibi, but even so, this is not the most attractive charm of the Death on the Nile".
Agatha Christie's novels have always been not only the puzzling murder cases but also the motive behind the crime, and the themes explored are the most fascinating part of the whole work. Just like in "Death on the Nile" two people seem to hate each other, but love each other very much. How much sacrifice can we make for love? Can we do whatever it takes just to spend the rest of our lives with our partners? Love is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous, but perhaps people are such contradictory creatures, knowing that they will be pushed into the fire, but they can't help but keep going forward to follow.
Gal Gadot in "Death on the Nile"
But even though "Death on the Nile" has an excellent text by Agatha Christie, a gorgeous cast, and well-designed scenes, the classical atmosphere will turn from the original charming to deadly as soon as it goes too far. Obviously "Death on the Nile" on a more progressive technical level, did not make the 2022 film fans feel satisfied with the adaptation, not only the overall atmosphere is dull and bland, but the cast's odd accents and lack of soul characterization, but also let the film failed to play the real charm of this work.
The most obvious one is the lead actress Gal Gadot, although the audience can feel from her posture that she has prepared for her future role in Cleopatra, this time in "Death on the Nile" lacks emotional lines and insufficient acting strength to support the role, completely treating "Lynnette" as a bright appearance of the The "Death on the Nile" is a film about a dead person, which does not show the story and character background of the character, but also leads to the lack of the most crucial deep color of the whole murder case, which can only be said to be a pity.
The shortcomings of "Death on the Nile"
Although we just watch "Death on the Nile" a movie, there may be a way to watch it smoothly in the theater, in addition to a slightly slower pace, will not find too many major flaws, but also be able to enjoy the mystery shaped by the murder, but if you put "Death on the Nile" and 2019 "Knives Out" together to compare with each other, the two will immediately appear a huge gap between the two. The most obvious of these is the "vitality" of a film that holds the audience's attention and makes them curious about each character and each rival scene.
Perhaps the latest thing we've noticed is the poor character and actor performances throughout "Death on the Nile", which largely undermines the suspenseful atmosphere of the story and the entertainment it can bring to the audience, but it has to be said that the actors' play relies heavily on the script and the director's directorial strength. Looking at the "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile" two works, there is too much "explanatory dialogue" to explain the background of each character and its relationship with the deceased, which makes the story becomes tedious and makes the audience lose patience with the film.
Death on the Nile Review Conclusion
On the whole, "Death on the Nile" is a mixed work. Even though the film is set in Egypt, it tries to bring the audience to unveil the mystery of the Nile and the surrounding pyramids through the rich exotic atmosphere and magnificent scenery, giving the film an elusive sense of suspense and strengthening the whole work's exploration of love and human nature. But in addition to the gorgeous scenes and the lined-up cast, the poor story content makes the above efforts greatly diminished.
Perhaps when adapting Agatha Christie's novel in the future, I think it's more important to think about the meaning of making this work now and how to make the movie new than to put a lot of effort into telling a story in "Death on the Nile". In today's era of online streaming, with less theater as a constraint, viewers can turn off the entire movie with a single button if they are not happy.
"Death on the Nile" end credits egg
So "Death on the Nile" is finally in the egg before the credits, Poirot shaved although there is a sense that he let go of his grief for his late wife, but personally, looking at the loss of his most iconic features of Poirot, one can not help but wonder if this is a hint that Kenneth Branagh will soon retire Poirot identity? Well, you have been shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Director this year with "Belfast", and Poirot's series of two episodes should be almost done.
