A Haunting in Venice

Murder on the Orient Express has reopened the front doors to the worlds of Agatha Christie mysteries, which never go out of fashion, even if the audience knows who the killer is in advance. "Death on the Nile" was supposed to continue Hercule Poirot's parade on the big screens, but it didn't work out: the film fell into ethical turbulence due to the scandal surrounding Armie Hammer, and the studio refused to reshoot the picture. Either the general nervousness around the release, or the material passed through made itself felt: Poirot's Egyptian investigation looked less convincing than the interrogation on the train. "Ghosts in Venice" is Kenneth Branagh's third attempt to comprehend the depths of the Belgian detective's personality, and so far the most successful.

On Halloween, the honorable ladies and gentlemen find themselves in a gloomy mansion with secrets, but not against the background of fog-shrouded British landscapes, but in the ever-sinking Venice. However, in Italy it was not without fog. After a children's party with dressing up and sweets, adults will have their own game — a spiritualistic session with the medium Mrs. Reynolds (the impressive Michelle Yeoh). Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who now cares only about baking in the morning, is deceived by an old friend, the writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who is invited to a murder party. And now I have to deal not only with the criminal incident of the evening, but also with the mysterious death that happened several years ago in this cursed house.

Ghosts and superstitions become full participants in the investigation: according to legend, during the plague, children from the mansion, which was then an orphanage, were left to die. Since then, rebellious souls have been haunting the living: whispering into the pillow, running around at night, confusing thoughts and scaring the hostess of the house Rowena (Kelly Riley) and her guests (among the invited Jamie Dornan, Riccardo Scamarcio and Camille Cottin). Poirot is a man of reason, and therefore drives paranormal devilry away from the corridors of thought. Kenneth Branagh, on the contrary, plays a mystical thriller with undisguised pleasure: he pumps up colors, narrows the geometry of enclosed spaces, and offers the camera to look from unexpected angles. Dampness and mold bind the stone floor and the insides of the participants in the meeting with the medium, who, of course, were trapped by the storm. The elements are raging outside, ghosts and a killer are inside.

If you are trying to remember whether Agatha Christie celebrated All Saints' Eve in Venice, we can disappoint you: no. For the first time, Kenneth Branagh allowed himself to break away from the original novel and embark on free writing based on the motives. The script is based on the book "Halloween Party", but the coincidences can be traced only in general terms. Probably, the approach to the text will alienate apologists of the religion "the book is better", but it will attract fans of detective stories — the solution, like, however, the murder itself, is strikingly different from the literary basis. No one bothers to call "Ghosts in Venice" a film fiction, but there is nothing wrong with the status: it was literary detectives who became heroes of folk art before others, starting with Sherlock Holmes.

Freedom from page frames allowed Brane to ironize and break the fourth wall: a writer who draws a tired detective into another case, someone like Agatha Christie's alter ego (a similar technique was already used in the recent costume detective "Watch Them Run"). However, the flirty bridge remains more of an entertaining addition than a full-scale discussion about how the authors used their favorite characters, even when they dreamed of retiring. Much more interesting is the emphasis on the fact that Poirot's whole life is infinitely connected with death: the visit of a Belgian detective for the evening is a sure sign that not all guests will survive the next dinner. The sad imprint of fate pushes Poirot to a well-deserved rest in the Eternal City, where there are no clues and no investigations. As always, not for long