By Taylor Domson

Death on the Nile, a new murder mystery film available on Hulu+, offers two hours of mystery-packed plot. Starring such famous actors as Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, and Russell Brand, the film combines international intrigue and world history in a mystery that mimics such films as Clue and Knives Out. 

The film primarily takes place in Egypt, where newlyweds Linnet (Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Hammer) enjoy an extravagant honeymoon of sightseeing, dining, and entertainment. Accompanied by a party of close friends and guests, the new couple enjoys the giddy joy of marriage, tying the knot after a mere six weeks of acquaintance. However, their love occurred by no accident. 

Just six weeks prior, Simon was engaged to Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), a young woman enraptured by the embrace of love. Jacqueline sought out her close friend, Linnet Ridgeway, in search of a job for her unemployed fiancé. Keenly aware of Linnet’s wealth and connections, she encouraged a healthy relationship between Linnet and Simon, laying the foundation for her own financially stable marriage. Her purest intentions only tempted Simon to pursue a new love. She unintentionally played the role of matchmaker, losing her fiancé and close friend in one fell swoop.

Linnet and Jacqueline before the love scandal. Photo credit: 20th Century Studios.

Even as Simon and Linnet dodge a vengeful Jacqueline, peace eludes them. Jacqueline follows the newlyweds throughout their honeymoon, seeking revenge and the revival of her love with Simon. Bearing a gun and wobbly mental state, she acts as a vexing fly that won’t allow Linnet and Simon solitude. 

To flee Jacqueline, the newlyweds board a luxury boat. Their attempt at escape fails when Jacqueline hastily boards the boat clutching the last ticket, leaving the feuding group of three stranded together.

Tensions stir in the boat’s supper dining room. In a feat of anger, Simon denies any love he might have had for Jacqueline. The argument escalates, and Jacqueline uses her 0.22 caliber gun to shoot Simon in the knee. The commotion caused by Simon’s unexpected injury distracts the majority of the crew and passengers for the remainder of the night. Simon is nursed to health by Linnet’s former lover and licensed physician, Dr. Windlesham (Brand), while Jacqueline is rushed to the wedding party’s token nurse, Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French).

As so, it comes as a surprise when Linnet is found murdered the following morning. Luckily, on board the ship is Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), a renowned Belgian detective initially hired to investigate an entirely different matter. Passenger and wedding party guest Euphemia (Annette Bening) hired Poirot—a family friend—to investigate her own son’s relationship with jazz singer Rosalie Otterbourne (Wright). So in love with Rosalie, Euphemia’s son Bouc (Tom Bateman) mistakes Poirot’s arrival on the boat as a pure coincidence, not the production of his mother’s micromanagement.

Detective Poirot is a historic character, originally created and developed in Agatha Christie’s mystery novels. For almost 60 years Poirot found his way into Christie’s fiction, most notably in Murder on the Orient Express. Poirot has been played by several actors since Christie’s mysteries have been adapted for film. Branagh played the detective in the 2017 version of Murder on the Orient Express.

In Death on the Nile, when murder confounds Poirot’s priorities, Bouc’s relationship with Rosalie becomes secondary to locating Linnet’s killer. Indeed, within the next 24 hours, two more dead bodies are apprehended, that of a family maid and Bouc himself. 

The boat erupts in chaos. Everyone becomes a possible suspect. Stolen jewels enter the realm of investigation, and it seems almost every passenger wields their own personal weapon. Just when Poirot believes he can locate no more evidence, the murder weapon reveals itself once more, found at the bottom of the Nile.

A swindled Jacqueline plotting vengeance. Photo credit: 20th Century Studios.

If that only introductory sequence of events sounds at all confusing, scrambled, or simply bizarre, it could equate to the entirety of Death on the Nile—rushed and unrealistic. Upper School teacher Vlastik Svab hasn’t seen the film, but he lightheartedly mentioned, “I’ve just heard [Death on the Nile] has really bad CGI.” Although I tried to keep in mind such a comment while watching the movie, I was too focused on basic plot understanding to dissect the film’s special effects. Despite its two hour duration, the plot felt incredibly shortened. Crammed with connections, characterization, and the planting of seeds that attempt to connect the puzzle pieces of the case, it served a frantic viewing experience. With more time to watch the film, film critic Christy Lemire admits it “looks empty and artificial—a glossy, CGI-rendered version of legitimately grand and impressive sights.” David Fear of Rolling Stone agrees, relating the “droolworthy Art Deco production design” of the film to a “vintage amusement park.”

Only now, after background research and careful recollection, can I piece together the entirety of the plot. Its action-packed sequences were even more confusing due to the actors’ foreign accents. The actors perform with authenticity and artistic fervor, yet I could only decipher their words using subtitles. My eyes often remained trained on the revolving text at the base of the screen, rather than the action itself. 

My senses were overwhelmed. Lost in character development and vibrant color, I simply watched the plot occur. I did not attempt to solve the murders myself, but simply watched idly as Poirot formed extravagant theories and performed new interrogations. In fact, when the final verdict was reached, I had not a single instinct pointing me in that direction prior to Poirot’s intricate explanation. Lemire of RogerEbert.com agrees, asserting “we learn far too little about these characters, even after the detective’s strategic questioning.” Poirot remains the omniscient investigator, stealing power away from the curious watcher. The viewer must simply watch; they cannot participate.

Even when the film lacked normal pacing, its acting compensated for such rushed plot. All actors delivered genuine performances, molding to the mystery genre with ease. Gadot delivered apprehension and timidity. Hammer crafted a character of deceptive wit and premeditated crime. Mackey’s portrayal of Jacqueline offered searing emotion and savvy murder. Wright, Sophie Okonedo, Bateman, French, and Jennifer Saunders all played their supporting roles with an essence of eerie mystery, convincing any viewer of their possible guilt.

The floating murder scene. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user Michael Gwyther-Jones.

Some critics disagree. Lemire confesses, “while [Branagh’s] A-list stars may be impossibly beautiful, they’re both oddly stiff and have zero romantic chemistry with each other.” Some critiqued the actors’ performances, while others deplored the characters themselves. Fear laments the lack of character depth throughout the film, admitting, “[Poirot] becomes yet another classic fictional character reduced to the sum of his traumas and tragedies.”  

Despite a rushed plot, Death on the Nile’s masterful acting ultimately contributed to my high rating for it—four out of five stars. Although its CGI was poor and its plot entrenched in details, the holistic movie-watching experience remained one I might surely repeat. Still, beware. Only watch Death on the Nile if you can give your undivided attention to the film. The murder might be a challenge for Detective Poirot, but it also serves the ultimate intellectual labyrinth for the viewer.

Featured image credit: 20th Century Studios.