A Haunting in Venice (2023) Review

I was a fan of the Murder on the Orient Express that came out a few years ago so I finally got around to watching A Haunting in Venice and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees Hercule Poirot in retirement, reluctantly accept to go to a seance. When a murder takes place it is up to Poirot to figure out who the killer is and whether they are from this realm or beyond. 

Main Character

Sir Kenneth Branagh plays Hercule Poirot for the third time and he also directs the movie. He is clearly passionate about the role and I thought he was great in the film, he encapsulates what I would expect from Poirot with his intelligence and the way he deduces crimes. But this film also looks into his character and how he is dealing with something new and how it makes him really question his faith which I thought was a nice addition here. 

Supporting Characters

Like the other films in this franchise it has a big cast and they pretty much all do a really good job. I was really surprised that Tina Fey was in this film and is actually a major part of the film. She has good chemistry with Branagh and doesn't go too much into the comedic area which was nice to see from her. 

Jamie Dornan plays a doctor here and they do a good job in showing his character off and spending time in making us care about the situation he has been in. Dornan is a really good actor and it is nice to see him move on from his 50 Shades of Grey stigma. 

Kelly Reilly is an actress that I haven't seen do enough but she is great in this film. She is the owner of the house that the seance takes place in and Reilly's character has plenty of depth to her and she does a good job with it. 

The rest of the cast are also effective and as you see Poirot interviewing everybody you learn more about them and the motivations they have for being there and why they might be the killer. 

Story

The film is a good old fashioned whodunnit and when it comes to that style of film it really works and kept me intrigued throughout. There are many suspects and all of them are intriguing and the film keeps you on your toes as it goes on. It also nails the final reveal in my opinion, it is explained really well and makes sense with the overall arc of the film. However, there is one specific element of the story that falls a bit flat and by the end of the film I kind of felt like it wasn't resolved which was a bit frustrating. 

Script

The script in the film is okay. The drama was well delivered and as I mentioned above the actual writing for all the twists and turns was well done and well realised. But without going into spoilers I felt like the more supernatural stuff wasn't particularly well written and was my least favourite part of the film. 

Style

The film looks really good, it is pretty creepy and Venice as a setting feels like a character on its own. The film is also paced well, it is a pretty short film but it is slower paced and makes you pay attention to what is going on in the film. However, like most films that have an horror element there is an overuse of jump scares here. I am fine with 1 or 2 but there were just too many and it loss its value as the film progressed. 

Overall

Overall, A Haunting in Venice is a good film that did its job effectively. It is a solid whodunnit and if you are a fan of films like that with a bit of horror chucked in there then this is a film for you. 

Rating - 7/10