About five years ago, “Murder in the Orient Express” was released, a remake and star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic book, and this time with Kenneth Branagh in the director’s chair and in the character of Detective Hercule Poirot. The film was successful at the box office, and it was decided to produce the pledge for it, which this time would be based on “Death on the Nile” by the British author.
Brana remained on board, and the production recruited a host of hot stars and starring roles, including Gal Gadot. The assumption was that “Death on the Nile” would surpass the achievements of its predecessor. What can already go wrong?
The answer: everything. A lot of water has flowed in the Nile since the film began production, and almost every possible blow has landed on it at that time. First of all, of course, the Corona, which led to his repeated rejections, until it was finally released last weekend.
But the Corona is not even the film’s biggest trouble. Unfortunately, he introduces in one of the lead roles the actor Armie Hammer, who previously starred in “The Social Network” and “Call Me by Your Name,” among others. Shortly after the filming, a series of testimonies began to be published against him, according to which he abused women in a horrible way. His career is actually over, and he will no longer be filmed for Hollywood movies, but from “Death on the Nile” he could no longer be erased.
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Gadot, who stars alongside him, also grabbed negative headlines, because of the cover affair for “Image” and her post during Operation Wall Guard last year. In addition, Kuwait and Lebanon have announced a boycott of “Death on the Nile” because of its participation in it. If that’s not enough, here’s another complication: Russell Brand and Leticia Wright, who also appear in the film, also got entangled in Corona’s time. In their case, it was because of statements against vaccines.
Despite all this, Disney Studios decided not to shelve the film, and even chose to take it to the cinema and not bury it in streaming, although they do so with a minimum of PR. Assessment: They do not want to give up assets like Brana and brands like Hercule Poirot, and hope to use them to produce more adaptations of Christie’s books in the near future, assuming the lightning does not hit twice and the next project is not cursed.
The long time that has passed since the beginning of the work on “Death on the Nile” gives perspective. First of all, Brana has already directed another film, “Belfast”, which was also released in Israel this week, and was also honored with a variety of Oscar nominations. Gadot, for her part, has since managed to announce that she will produce a project based on the story of Cleopatra and will even star in it. Meanwhile, one can see here a scene in which she is likened to a queen. A miraculous coincidence, because at the time of filming this movie they did not yet know that she would play the legendary icon.
Beyond the anecdotes, there is also a more important perspective. When “Orient Express Murder” came out, the conditions were completely different. “Death on the Nile” comes at a time when cinema is fading and dying. It’s not obvious to see a film like this, which is neither “Spider-Man” nor “Batman”, and yet it has impressive production values, generous brushstrokes, vibrant camera movements and an attempt to communicate with a wide audience. For ten minutes, it returns the color to the face and makes you want to eat popcorn.
The problem is that the film lasts two hours, and at an early stage it loses steam. The plot, as the name of the film implies, takes place on a ship sailing on the Nile in the 1930s. In addition to Puero, there are also a variety of high-society figures on board, including a sparkling couple who have just married, played by Gadot and Hammer. More around: their mythological exes, played by Russell Brand and Emma McKee, who broke out in the series “Sex Education,” and this is her first notable film role.
Similar to “Titanic”, another period film that took place on a ship, “Death on the Nile” also uses the dynamics between the characters to reveal how classy society was during this period. He presents the intrigues between the protagonists to criticize their greed, and in the end of course the intrigues lead to the murder. As usual in Christie’s stories, everyone is suspicious, and Poirot interrogates each and every one.
The film has a rich gallery of characters, but from a local point of view, Gadot catches all the attention. “Death on the Nile” is probably a project she hopes to erase, but even in it the actress proves what an impressive presence she has. As in “Batman vs. Superman” and “Red Post,” here too she makes her entry in a noble way reserved for the Golden Age stars, and then goes on to demonstrate extraordinary charisma and charm.
Admittedly, the role of Gadot is quite marginal, for reasons that cannot be specified, because they are related to plot twists, and also for a simple reason – almost all the characters are secondary. The film is a show of one character: Hercule Poirot. The rest stand in his show.
The trouble is that Poirot is not only the main character in the film, but also the most problematic character in it. “Death on the Nile” tries to shape him as a tragic hero, explain the source of his melancholy and use it as a springboard to discuss the destructive and omnipotent power of love. The problem is that it’s hard to take it all seriously, when in Brana’s play he walks around with a ridiculous mustache and an even more ridiculous accent.
The other characters are also designed by the film with a lot of pathos, and in general he approaches Christie’s legacy with abysmal seriousness. This is problematic, because in the years since “Murder on the Orient Express” we have witnessed “Murder Mystery” and “Well-Written Murder,” which treated her writings with a smile, full of humor and irony, and their light-hearted approach underscores how heavy, dry and outdated this adaptation is.
The American media has described “Death on the Nile” as “the biggest nightmare of any publicist,” and watching it reveals that the audience is not licking honey either. It has quite a few dull, and even puzzling moments in it; A hero who is supposed to be a genius and tragic detective but looks and sounds like a clown; And a plot that collapses under its own weight, and sinks into the abyss. This movie is a publicity stunt – and a cinematic disaster.
Avner Shavit is the film critic of Walla!