February 8, 2022
Jacqueline de Bellefort introduced her handsome but penniless fiance Simon Boyle to her wealthy friend Linnet Ridgeway. However, it would turn out later that Simon dumped Jackie and had married Linnet instead. So when the newly-married couple went on a grand honeymoon in Egypt, the rejected Jackie stalked them the whole way, even booking herself on a cruise of the Nile on the river boat Karnak, on which the Doyles were also booked.
One night, there was a murder onboard the boat, someone had been shot at close range on the forehead. When famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot began to investigate, every other passenger on the cruise with them seemed to have a reason to kill the victim, who it turned out was not exactly the congenial type. A couple more murders were still to be committed before Poirot was able to finally piece together the complex plot.
In the original 1978 film version of "Death on the Nile" directed by John Guillermin, Peter Ustinov played the inimitable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, taking over from Albert Finney who played Poirot in "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974). Just like first film, the murder had been committed in a confined location (this time a river boat). It also had an impressive array of actors playing the suspects for the murder of Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles).
The all-star cast included Bette Davis (as the grand dame Marie Van Schuyler), Maggie Smith (her stern nurse Ms. Bower), Angela Lansbury (flighty romance author Salome Otterbourne), Olivia Hussey (her anxious daughter Rosalie), Jack Warden (the defensive Dr. Bessler), George Kennedy (the unscrupulous Atty. Andrew Pendleton), Jane Birkin (Linnet's maid Louise), Mia Farrow (Jackie), and Simon MacCorkindale (Simon).
In this new film remake, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) was investigating the case of Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot). Simon (Armie Hammer) was her husband, Jackie (Emma Mackey) her friend, and Louise (Rose Leslie) her maid. Some characters had the same names but different relationships. Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders) was now Linnet's godmother, with Ms. Bowers (Dawn French) her nurse. Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okenedo) was now a blues singer, while her niece Rosalie (Letitia Wright) was Linnet's close friend.
There were also characters whose names and relationships with Linnet were changed. The lawyer character is now Linnet's cousin Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Faizal). The doctor character is now Linnet's ex-fiance Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand). Instead of David Niven's Col. Race, the role of Poirot's friend went to Bouc (Tom Bateman), who was also in the previous case on the Orient Express. Bouc brought his artist mother Euphemia (Annette Bening) along, and was in a romantic relationship with Rosalie.
Gal Gadot fit the bill of the glamourous heiress to a T. However, she did not project Linnet's haughtiness that well, unlike how Lois Chiles did it. Emma Mackey (whom I never knew before this film) had a more challenging role as Jackie. However, she looked quite strong and confident, unlike how Mia Farrow gave her Jackie a weak, clingy, needy vibe the character needed. Armie Hammer's screen presence seems diminishing with his every film, even in a big role as Simon. Tom Bateman even upstaged him in the more minor role of Bouc.
Aside from a prologue (why Poirot grew his fancy mustache) and an epilogue (how Poirot may be falling in love again), the basic plot of the novel remained the same with significant alterations to promote present-day concerns like multi-racial and LGBTQ representations. The production design was rich with 1930s aristocratic glamor and exotic Egyptian antiquities. With a much darker color palette and serious mood, Branagh's approach tended to be quite melodramatic, especially at the climax, without the campy humor of the original.
Death of the Nile (1978): 7/10. Death on the Nile (2022) 6/10.
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