Warning: Mild spoilers for all 3 Hercule Poirot movies
Kenneth Branagh has directed and starred in three Hercule Poirot movies, but they’re not all equal to one another. A Haunting in Venice is the most recent murder mystery starring everyone’s favorite Belgian detective. Like the first two movies, A Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, A Haunting in Venice was adapted from an Agatha Christie story. Each film in the franchise includes an all-star ensemble cast, a murder mystery waiting to be solved, and Poirot at the center of it all, but which film reigns supreme?
Each of Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movies has something to like. Whether that’s the cast, the unfolding mystery, the untold secrets lurking behind the lies the characters tell, or Poirot’s memorable mustache (which gets its own backstory), the franchise isn’t short on entertainment. 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express kicked things off, introducing Hercule Poirot to a new generation, A Haunting in Venice mixed in supernatural and horror elements with the central murder mystery, while Death on the Nile saw Poirot being a bit more vulnerable than usual. While each film can be enjoyed on its own, there’s bound to be a favorite.
3 Death On The Nile
Death on the Nile has its merits — a secret love affair, a feud between friends, an heiress murdered for her money, and Poirot developing feelings for a nightclub singer. But the second film — which faced a few delays due to production and the pandemic, as well as assault allegations against Armie Hammer ahead of its release — is easily the weakest of the three films. Death on the Nile uses its screen time to provide an unnecessary backstory for Hercule Poirot’s mustache, and its pacing is slower compared to the other two films.
It’s entertaining enough, and there is an occasional sense of urgency to the proceedings, but the film’s style is undercut by underdeveloped characters and unneeded explanations. What’s more, the second Poirot movie isn’t as fun as it could’ve been, with some of its confident allure drained from it. Considering the flashiness, the lovers’ spat, and the panache that appears on occasion, Death on the Nile can be an engaging watch, but it falls short compared to the other two Poirot films in the franchise.
2 Murder On The Orient Express
Murder On the Orient Express draws the most comparisons to the book, but it manages to achieve a lot with a memorable ensemble cast, while challenging Hercule Poirot uniquely, and in a way that no other case really has. The murder mysteries typically have a lone killer, and sometimes two, but the first film in Branagh’s franchise takes revenge to another level. The film is stylish, with a flair for the old-fashioned. It’s also quite faithful to the source material, albeit with a few differences.
But Murder on the Orient Express’ ending doesn’t fully live up to the buildup, and there’s an overall lack of intrigue that plagues the story, with some of the characters not getting as much attention as needed. Poirot is also the least interesting he’s ever been in this film. Perhaps it’s because Branagh was still trying to adjust to the detective’s mannerisms, but he’s better as Poirot in the film’s sequels. Nonetheless, Murder on the Orient Express is a strong enough entry in the franchise. It centers its mystery in a way that gets the job done, even if it’s slightly underwhelming in execution.
1 A Haunting In Venice
With A Haunting in Venice, it seems the third time’s the charm. Hercule Poirot returns, but he’s a little bit more worn down and haunted than he is in the first two films. What ultimately elevates the third installment is its horror and supernatural elements, which nicely complement the murder mystery plot. It also helps that A Haunting in Venice is more of a loose adaptation of Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, allowing the story to go in a few different directions. The central story is unsettling in a good way, and it uses horror elements to touch upon Poirot’s own history with death, giving him a hard look at his life.
It does this a lot better, and more seamlessly, than either Death on the Nile or Murder on the Orient Express. The introduction of Ariadne Oliver, herself a mystery novelist with a love/hate relationship to Poirot, smartly replaces Bouc as a person from the detective’s past. It also puts Poirot in a situation that threatens his own mind in the midst of an investigation, which is something viewers haven’t really seen in Branagh’s adaptations. The filmis chilling, and the cast being smaller than the previous films allows them each their moment to shine, all with a strong message that brings A Haunting in Venice’s ending to a close.
