I think Kenneth Branagh is an interesting film director. When he's on his game, he can make really interesting, artful and compelling cinema. The teenager really enjoyed his take on Murder on the Orient Express, so I was interested to see if what he could do with Death on the Nile.
Death on the Nile... he was not on his game.
OK, first - full disclosure - I am a big fan of David Suchet's Poirot. For me, Tom Baker is Dr Who, Jeremy Bret is Sherlock Holmes and David Suchet is Poirot. That said, I am willing to give other interpretations a fair shake. I will say good things about Christopher Eccleston, David Tenet and even mildly positive things about Benedict Cumberbatch (though I still dislike the actor greatly for other reasons). I too enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express... so I had hopes for this movie.
Yeah... some on to the criticism.
Mild spoilers here...
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One, Hercule Poirot's mustaches do NOT have a Tragic Backstory!
Two, Hercule Poirot is not a dark, brooding, tragic man of action! Poirot does not brood. He obsesses. Frequently, he complains - usually about English food, English weather and English... English-ness. Sometimes, he sulks. He does not brood.
He is not tragic. Occasionally, he is melancholy... and yes, the ending of Death on the Nile is, itself, a kind of tragedy... but Poirot himself in not tragic.
He certainly is not a man of action. He is a fussy, obsessive, little dandy who would be much to impressed by his own brilliance if he were not, in fact, almost always the smartest man in any given room he happens be in at the time.
Kenneth... Kenneth. Dear Kenneth... the key to creating a successful adaptation of a beloved character and story is in knowing what to change and what to leave alone.
In the words of my New England fore-bearers - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
In conclusion - Hercule Poirot's mustaches do NOT have a Tragic Backstory!
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