A Haunting in Venice 4K 2023 2160p WEB-DL

Hercule Poirot is about to retire. Before that, he reluctantly agrees to take part in a séance in Venice. One of the guests is found murdered and all those present, each with their own criminal motives, are under suspicion.

A Haunting in Venice 4K Review
"Murder on the Orient Express" reopened the front doors to the worlds of Agatha Christie mysteries, which never go out of style, even if the audience knows who the killer is, up front. "Death on the Nile" was supposed to continue the parade Hercule Poirot on the big screens, but it did not go well: the movie got into ethical turbulence because of the scandal around Armie Hammer, and the studio refused to reshoot the picture. Either the general nervousness around the release, or the passed material made itself known: the Egyptian investigation of Poirot looked less convincing than the interrogation on the train. "Ghosts in Venice" - Kenneth Branagh's third attempt to comprehend the depths of the personality of the Belgian detective willy-nilly and so far the most successful.

On Halloween, honorable ladies and gentlemen find themselves in a gloomy mansion with secrets, but not against the backdrop of fog-shrouded British landscapes, but in the ever-sinking Venice. However, Italy is not without fog either. After a children's party with dressing up and sweets, adults are waiting for their own game - a spiritistic séance with medium Mrs. Reynolds (an impressive Michelle Yeoh). Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who now only cares about baking in the morning, is tricked by his old writer friend Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) into inviting him to a holiday with a murder. And now is forced to deal not only with the evening's criminal incident, but also with a mysterious death that happened years ago in the cursed house.

Ghosts and superstitions become full participants in the investigation: according to legend, during the plague, children from the mansion, which was then an orphanage, were left to die. Since then, rebellious souls do not give rest to the living: whispering in the pillow, running at night, confusing thoughts and frighten the mistress of the house Rowena (Kelly Reilly) and her guests (among the invited Jamie Dornan, Riccardo Scamarcio and Camille Cottin). Poirot is a man of reason, and therefore chases the paranormal devilry away from the corridors of thought. Kenneth Branagh, on the contrary, with undisguised pleasure plays a mystical thriller: he presses colors, narrows the geometry of closed rooms, and the camera offers to look from unexpected angles. Dampness and mold stiffen the stone floor and gut of the participants in the encounter with the medium, who, of course, are trapped by the storm. Outside, the elements rage; inside, there are ghosts and a killer.

If you are trying to remember whether Agatha Christie celebrated All Saints' Day Eve in Venice, we can disappoint you: no. Kenneth Branagh has for the first time allowed himself to break away from the original novel and to freely compose based on it. The script is based on the book "Halloween Party", but the coincidences are only in general terms. Probably, the approach to the text will repel apologists of the "book is better" religion, but will attract fans of detectives - the solution, as well as, however, the murder itself, is strikingly different from the literary basis. No one prevents you from calling "Ghosts in Venice" a movie fanfic, but there is nothing wrong with the status: it is literary detectives who became heroes of folk art earlier than others, starting with Sherlock Holmes.

Freedom from page frames allowed Branagh to ironize and break the fourth wall: the writer, pulling the tired detective in another case, someone like Agatha Christie's alter ego (a similar technique has already been used in the recent costume detective "Watch Them Run"). However, the flirtatious bridge remains more of an entertaining addition than a full-blown discussion of how the authors used their favorite characters, even when they dreamed of retiring. Much more interesting is the emphasis on the fact that Poirot's entire life is infinitely linked to death: the Belgian detective's visit for the evening is a sure sign that not all the guests will survive the next dinner. The sad imprint of fate and pushes Poirot to a well-deserved vacation in the Eternal City, where there are no clues and no investigations. As always, not for long.

"Ghosts in Venice" is a rather old-fashioned (or classic, whatever you want to call it) detective movie that can be called a fair trade: the viewer gets exactly what he or she expects. Ghosts and mysticism are surprisingly seamlessly intertwined with an investigation without a statute of limitations, Venice is beautiful and captivating with an eerie charm, and Kenneth Branagh knocks the mythical calm and hubris off the gray hair of Hercule Poirot, who will undoubtedly return.