‘A Haunting In Venice’ Review: Kenneth Branagh Brings a Supernatural Dimension to His Hercule Poirot Series
variety.comTodd Gilchrist editor An adult-oriented crowd pleaser of the sort that seldom gets made any longer without superheroes being involved, and better than that, is quite entertaining, “A Haunting in Venice” extends 2023’s streak as the Year That Hollywood Lured Grown-Ups Back To Theaters.
Less prestigious than practiced in spotlighting the star wattage of its pedigreed cast, Kenneth Branagh’s third Agatha Christie adaptation offers a nimble stopgap between drier art-house fare, traditional studio tentpoles and scrappy genre material leaching ticket sales from their pricier competitors — while satisfying all three potential audiences.
Branagh, once again pulling double duty as the film’s star and director, anchors this (possibly) supernatural digression from the shoe-leather sleuthing of earlier Hercule Poirot stories with appropriate theatricality, while playful turns from a shrewdly selected supporting cast elevate the case from just another murder mystery to suitably arch gothic horror.
Shortly after the events of “Death on the Nile,” Branagh’s Poirot is living in Venice, where he has retired comfortably enough to afford a 24-hour bodyguard, Vitale Portfoglio (Riccardo Scamarcio), to protect him from would-be clients accosting him in the streets for his services.
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