A Haunting in Venice Review

Quick Introduction

About the Movie

Kenneth Branagh's mystery thriller A Haunting in Venice, released in 2023, is based on Agatha Christie's novel Hallowe'en Party (1969). In the movie, Branagh plays retired Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who is brought in to look into the death of a wealthy man during a séance at a dilapidated palazzo in Venice.

In addition to being aesthetically gorgeous and atmospheric, Branagh plays Poirot with great acting skill and passion in this film. The supporting cast, which stars Jamie Dornan as an enigmatic and charming young man entangled in the murder investigation and Tina Fey as Poirot's devoted companion, Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, is equally outstanding and doesn't stress the limelight on the protagonist alone.

Poirot must sort through a maze of lies and secrets in order to solve the case in this intricate and captivating film, which has a mystery hidden at every corner of its plot, encaptivating every viewer. There are also some truly terrifying scenes in the movie, and Branagh does a great job of building tension and dread throughout. There are a lot of new characters in the movie, and it can be challenging to remember them all. The movie's ending is also quite abrupt and leaves a lot of unresolved questions, which is what makes it stand out and draws in viewers who are drawn to mysteries.

All things considered, Haunting in Venice is a skillfully crafted and captivating mystery thriller movie featuring top-notch acting from the ensemble, a deep and captivating storyline, and genuine moments of terror.

The movie has many more positive aspects than negative ones, even though the pacing of the movie can be slow at times, and some of the supporting characters could have used more development.

A well-known distribution company named 20th Century Studios released "A Haunting in Venice" in the United States on 15th September, 2023. Critics gave the movie favorable reviews for its direction, performances, and production design overall, and it made around $120 million at the box office globally.

Plot

Kenneth Branagh is the director of the 2023 mystery thriller A Haunting in Venice, which stars Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Reilly, Jude Hill, and Camille Cottin. After Death on the Nile (2022) and Murder on the Orient Express (2017), this is the third movie in Branagh's Hercule Poirot series. Poirot is shown in the movie's opening moments living in a remote Venice villa. He is content with his quiet life as a retired man. His tranquility is disturbed, though, when he receives an invitation to a haunted palazzo for a Halloween party.

The Palazzo is owned by renowned opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). In an attempt to get in touch with her deceased daughter, Alicia (Ava Ross), who passed away under suspicious circumstances, Rowena is throwing the party.

Even though Poirot is grudgingly going to the party, he doesn't really think the Palazzo is haunted. Logic and reason, not ghosts, are what he believes in.

When Poirot gets to the Palazzo the night of the celebration, he is greeted by a motley crew of peculiar visitors. The guests include a war hero named Edward Strickland (Jamie Dornan), a mystery writer named Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a young boy named Foscarelli (Jude Hill), a socialite named Katherine Grey (Camille Cottin), a medium named Grace Ballard (Michelle Yeoh), and a police detective named Santini (Riccardo Scamarcio).

A storm hits Venice during the celebration, throwing the Palazzo completely dark. Poirot is confined inside, along with the other guests.

Out of nowhere, there's a scream. Upon investigating, Poirot and the other guests discover that Rowena has been murdered. Poirot gets to work on his inquiry. He attempts to piece together what transpired by interviewing the guests. He quickly learns that each visitor is hiding something.

Poirot also finds out that the Palazzo is haunted by the spirits of children who perished there centuries ago during a plague.

In the end, Poirot discovers the truth regarding Rowena's murder and Alicia's passing. He cracks the case and reveals the murderer.

When all is said and done, Poirot departs from Venice, but not before changing. Having witnessed the dark side of humanity, he now knows that superstition can affect even the most rational individuals.

Storyline

Hercule Poirot, who is retired and resides in Venice in 1947, hires former law enforcement officer Vitale Portfoglio as his personal protector. Mystery writer Ariadne Oliver persuades Poirot to go to a Halloween celebration and séance at renowned opera singer Rowena Drake's Palazzo on Halloween in order to reveal Joyce Reynolds—a World War I military nurse who later became a medium—as fraudulent. There are rumors that the Palazzo itself is haunted by the ghosts of children who were caged up and left to perish when an epidemic took over the city and that their spirits torture any medical professionals who attempt to venture inside. This was during the time when Palazzo was once an orphanage.

In order to facilitate communication with their child Alicia, who allegedly committed suicide after breaking off their engagement, Rowena chose to employ Joyce as a counselor. Joyce's Romani assistant, Desdemona Holland, the Drake family physician Leslie Ferrier, and their son Leopold, Rowena's housekeeper, Olga Seminoff, and Maxime are among the guests present.

Poirot discovers that Joyce has a pair of assistants during the séance, and it comes to light that Nicholas, Desdemona's half-brother, has concealed himself in the chimney. Abruptly speaking in Alicia's voicemail, Joyce reveals that one of the guests killed her. When Poirot tries to confront Joyce, she gives him the mask and robe and advises him to put himself at ease. Joyce is discovered pierced on an effigy in the backyard a split second after Poirot, who is apple bobbing, is nearly submerged by an anonymous attacker.

When Poirot meets with those present while a storm shuts down the Palazzo, he sees ghostly appearances of Alicia and senses a little girl humming. From all this compassion, it is found apparent that Leslie is in a relationship with Rowena despite being deeply traumatized by his experiences during the liberating process of the Bergen-Belsen prison.

Because Alicia was preoccupied with pleasing her mom and because Rowena disagreed with him, Maxime—who had not been invited at first—called off his wedding ceremony.

After seeing part of "Meet Me" in St. Louis at a camp for displaced people, Nicholas and Desdemona developed a romantic relationship and eventually decided to use the funds that they stole from Joyce to visit St. Louis, Missouri.

The whispers that Poirot had been noticing since he almost drowned are identical to the voices Leopold says he has heard from the ghosts of children.

Upon discovering an underground chamber housing bone fragments of kids who passed away, Leslie experiences an attack of anxiety and almost puts a full stop on Maxime's life. Rowena locks him in the music room so that he might heal, and Poirot is the only one in possession of the key to that room. Poirot determines that Ariadne delivered Maxime's invitation and that she is collaborating with Vitale after inspecting it closely. Vitale, who looked into Alicia's death and left law enforcement as a consequence of the investigation, provided confidential information to Joyce, and Ariadne had intended to use Poirot's inability to explain the paranormal as a plot device for her next book. Later, Leslie's fatal stabbing is discovered.

Poirot gathers the rest of the guests and confesses that Rowena has been the killer. After learning that Maxime and Alicia intended to get back together, she broke off contact with her out of her obsession with keeping Alicia to herself. She then used small doses of toxic, hallucinogenic honey that was obtained from rhododendrons to cause weakness and then take care of Alicia; it was the very same honey that appeared to be the source of Poirot's hallucinations. Olga accidentally gave Alicia tea one evening that was lethal to her. Rowena staged Alicia's suicide out of fear of being caught.

Rowena believed Leslie or Joyce to be the culprits when threats of extortion started to arrive. After making an attempt to sink Poirot, she realized she was mistaking him for Joyce. She later pushed Joyce to her death. After that, she threatened to kill Leopold over the internal phone line of the Palazzo, forcing Leslie to resort to stabbing himself. She intended to blame both deaths on the enchantment she had imposed on the children. Alicia's ghost appears to both of them when Poirot encounters Rowena on the roof, dragging her off onto the structure towards the canal in which she submerges.

Poirot leaves Ariadne as dawn breaks, decides to hold off on burning Vitale or reveal his participation during the séance, and quietly reveals Leopold to be the blackmailer. Leopold reveals that he recognized the lethal toxicity symptoms his father had overlooked, linking the dots after learning that Rowena played a role in an opera whose title character was known as the "king of poisons" in her debut performance. Poirot advises Leopold and Olga to use the funds to assist the Hollands in resettling in the USA in order to atone for their transgressions. Finally, Poirot goes back to his house to take on additional assignments.

Review

A Haunting in Venice, Kenneth Branagh's most recent Hercule Poirot film, is an atmospheric mystery with striking twists in the narrative. As the renowned Belgian investigator, Branagh, who also serves as director, is at the top of his game, lending his signature charm and wit to the part.

The movie follows Poirot in his investigation into a strange death at a dilapidated palazzo in Venice. The guests are certain that the ghost is to blame for the murder because the Palazzo is said to be haunted. But Poirot feels otherwise, so he decides to find out what really happened before the death.

Poirot meets a number of strange people along the route, and all of them have secrets. Poirot also discovers a web of deceit and treachery as he investigates the mystery further. Every person in the Palazzo is not who they seem to be, and they all have reasons to want the victim dead.

In a thrilling and suspenseful scene, Poirot confronts the killer in the film's climax. The audience is kept guessing right up until the very end, thanks to the surprising and satisfying twist ending.

Fans of Hercule Poirot and mystery movies should not miss A Haunting in Venice. The mystery has a clever plot with lots of unexpected turns, and the resolution is incredibly satisfying.

A Haunting in Venice is an atmospheric mystery with striking visuals and a compellingly twisty plot. As Poirot, Branagh is at the top of his game, and the Venetian backdrop of the movie is breathtaking.

An elegant and gripping mystery, A Haunting in Venice will keep you guessing right up to the very end. The film's Venetian setting is exquisite, and Branagh's portrayal of Poirot is a must-see. Because of some intense violence, unsettling visuals, thematic elements, and pictures that can't speak for themselves, it is rated PG-13.

Moral

"A Haunting in Venice" teaches us that if we avoid facing our past, it will come back to haunt us. Hercule Poirot, a detective called in to look into a murder at a Venice hotel, is the main character of the movie. As he delves deeper into the lives of the hotel's patrons, he uncovers a web of long-buried secrets and lies.

Face-planting with our pasts is one of the film's main themes. All of the movie's characters are plagued by regrets from the past, and they can't move on until they face them. The concept of forgiveness is also explored in the movie. To move on with his life, Poirot needs to learn to forgive himself for his past transgressions.

Ultimately, the movie makes the argument that facing and growing from our pasts is the only way to move past them. Though we cannot undo the past, we can decide how to let it influence the present and future.

The movie makes the argument that everyone is capable of evolving. The movie implies that we shouldn't be embarrassed to beg for pardons. We give forgiveness as a gift to both ourselves and other people.

All things considered, "A Haunting in Venice" is a thought-provoking movie that looks at themes of redemption, forgiveness, and guilt.