Kenneth Branagh indulges in the kind of macabre theatricality that only a crumbling Venetian palazzo on a stormy Halloween night can provide in 鈥� 鈥�
Moviegoers probably long ago made up their mind one way or another about Branagh鈥檚 stately and flawed Hercule Poirot franchise, but should there be any curiosity left for this third installment is worth it. It is spooky, fun and features Tina Fey, looking smart and sleek in post-war suits as the fast-talking author of wildly successful whodunnits who says things like 鈥淚鈥檓 the smartest person I know鈥� in a mid-Atlantic accent.
Set in 1947 on a particularly foggy night in the city of canals, 鈥淎 Haunting in Venice鈥� is beautiful to look at, with costumes by Sammy Sheldon, production design by John Paul Kelly and cinematography by Haris Zambarloukos. And it鈥檚 embellished with moody but palatable scares that feel reminiscent of classics like 鈥淭he Innocents鈥� and 鈥淭he Others,鈥� that are enhanced by Hildur Gu冒nad贸ttir鈥檚 score. In other words, this might not excite a 鈥淪aw鈥� enthusiast, but for the more easily scared and skittish it hits just the right notes.
Agatha Christie takes a bit of a backseat here, as Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green take only the loosest inspiration from her 1969 book 鈥淭he Hallowe鈥檈n Party鈥� for their haunting, firstly by moving it to Venice. It鈥檚 where Poirot has chosen to live out his self-imposed retirement (an enviable exile if there ever was one). His whereabouts are hardly a secret though 鈥� desperate folks line up outside of his picturesque apartment hoping he鈥檒l take a stab at their cases. But for now, a handsome Italian bodyguard (Riccardo Scamarcio) is there to make sure they don鈥檛 get close enough to ask.
Fey鈥檚 Ariadne Oliver gets through the gates, though, with a different kind of offer: She wants Poirot to accompany her to a s茅ance. This medium, she says, appears to be the real deal and only he鈥檒l be able to figure out if it鈥檚 all a trick. Soon he, reluctantly, finds himself at a Halloween party for the city鈥檚 orphans, held by a famous opera singer, Rowena, (Kelly Reilly) with a famously dead daughter whom they hope to contact later that evening when the children depart.
Branagh recruited a few of his 鈥淏elfast鈥� stars into this ensemble, including Jamie Dornan as doctor still haunted by the war and Jude Hill as his precocious son Leopold. Camille Cottin is a housekeeper, Kyle Allen is the dead girl鈥檚 ex-fianc茅, and Michelle Yeoh is the theatrical medium Mrs. Reynolds, who seems to be having a grand time chewing the scenery as a possible femme fatale. It is a distinct shift in tone from the previous films 鈥� sadder and more serious, with grief and death everywhere. Even before Alicia鈥檚 mysterious death (off a balcony, into the canal with a horrific scrape on her back) the grand palazzo had a body count: It鈥檚 where doctors are said to have locked up children to die during the plague.
And this crew is in for a long, stormy, claustrophobic night with finger pointing, more deaths and some inexplicable phenomena at play. Poirot鈥檚 existential crisis is probably the least interesting aspect of the whole thing, despite its centrality to the plot, but Branagh doesn鈥檛 waste too much of his time diving into those self-indulgent waters.
Maybe Branagh should have been leaning more into horror this whole time with this franchise. Or maybe it鈥檚 a case of underestimating a director whose work is prolific and not always personal. It can be hard to take stock of a filmmaker鈥檚 career when they鈥檝e made great Shakespeare and Cinderella adaptations as well as 鈥淭hor鈥� and 鈥淎rtemis Fowl.鈥� But it鈥檚 always a pleasant surprise when it works as 鈥淎 Haunting in Venice鈥� very much does.
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鈥淎 Haunting in Venice,鈥� a 20th Century Studios release in theaters Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for 鈥渟ome strong violence, disturbing images and thematic elements.鈥� Running time: 107 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
