Tom Bateman, Annette Bening and Kenneth Branagh in the Kenneth Branagh movie ‘Death on the Nile’

Agatha Christie is perhaps best known for her detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. The remake of the Poirot mystery Murder on the Orient Express (2017) was reviewed by Matt Lynn Digital in 2018. Kenneth Branagh reprises his role as director and star of the movie Death on the Nile (2022), based on the Christie book Death on the Nile, published in the United Kingdom in 1937 and in the United States in 1938.

(From left, Annette Bening as Euphemia and Tom Bateman as Bouc in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

The movie Death on the Nile opens with an explanation for the signature mustache worn by Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The mustache dates back to Poirot‘s service in World War One. While serving his country in the military, a hidden trap kills many of the men while mutilating Poirot‘s face. Poirot‘s nurse and lover, Katherine as portrayed by Susannah Fielding, suggests the detective grow a mustache to camouflage the scars. While Katherine unfortunately dies in the war, born is Poirot’s signature mustache.

(Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

It is 1937 that we next encounter our fair detective in a club in London, England, enjoying the singing of blues performer Salome Otterbourne. Poirot witnesses the introduction of Simon Doyle as Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ de Bellefort’s fiancé to de Bellefort’s childhood friend, heiress Linnet ‘Linny’ Ridgeway. Ridgeway agrees to enter into a business arrangement with Doyle that evening. Sophie Okonedo, Armie Hammer, Emma Mackey and Gal Gadot portrayed Otterbourne, Doyle, de Bellefort and Ridgeway, respectively.

(From left, Armie Hammer as Simon Doyle and Gal Gadot as Linnet ‘Linny’ Ridgeway-Doyle in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

It’s six weeks later that, while traveling in Egypt, Poirot encounters his friend Bouc with Euphemia, Bouc’s mother. Bouc invited Poirot to his hotel to attend the wedding of Linnet and Simon, which naturally comes as a surprise given the introductions witnessed back in London. Bouc and Euphemia were portrayed by Tom Bateman and Annette Bening, respectively.

(From left, Jennifer Saunders as Marie Van Schuyler and Dawn French as Mrs. Bowers in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

Linnet and Simon are enjoying a honeymoon trip on the Nile River. Linnet’s maid, Louise Bourget, Linnet’s schoolfriend Rosalie, traveling as manager with her aunt, Salome Otterbourne, and Linnet’s godmother, Marie Van Schuyler with her nurse, Mrs. Bowers, all join the trip. Dr. Linus Windlesham, Linnet’s former fiancé who renounced his wealthy background, and Linnet’s cousin and financial manager, Andrew Katchadourian, also have joined the trip. Linnet asks Poirot to protect her from Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ de Bellefort, Simon Doyle’s former fiancé, who has followed the couple to Egypt out of presumed feelings of scorn. Bourget, Rosalie, Van Schuyler, Bowers, Windlesham and Katchadourian were portrayed by Rose Leslie, Letitia Wright, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Russell Brand and Ali Fazal, respectively.

(From left, Rose Leslie as Louise Bourget, Emma Mackey as Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ de Bellefort and Ali Fazal as Andrew Katchadourian in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

The vacationing party boards a cruise ship, Linnet confides to Poirot that she distrusts her guests, too. During an excursion to Abu Simbel, Egypt, Bouc reveals that he is dating Rosalie, against his mother’s wishes. With additional heat on the lives of Linnet and Simon while on excursion, the new bride feels worse when it is learned that Jackie has boarded the cruise ship. Linnet’s death eventually follows, with the apparent instrument of that death found with an investigation to follow, revealing several avenues for who could have committed the crime. Besides investigating the crime, confronting the death, and the further and final motivations for all revealed, the story of Poirot‘s only thoughts for his own romantic feelings, too, are made known.

(From left, Russell Brand as Dr. Linus Windlesham, Sophie Okonedo as Salome Otterbourne and Letitia Wright as Rosalie ‘Rosie’ Otterbourne in the Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile).

The story that we witness with the movie Death on the Nile harkens back to a top notch book by Agatha Christie. The screenplay by Michael Green served us well in providing an entertaining story. The added production of both Kenneth Branagh and Ridley Scott, among others, likely improved the movie. I grant Death on the Nile as directed by Kenneth Branagh 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and the movie ‘The Jackal’

Today we at Matt Lynn Digital choose to review a decent if not great film called The Jackal (1997). Made perhaps a decade later than was appropriate for the look and feel of the film, the story follows a decent Cold War era with little in terms of pretense in trying to capture a nostalgic feel that fans of movies from bygone eras might seek. Despite this, some celluloid heroism was on the menu with The Jackal.

(Bruce Willis as The Jackal in The Jackal).

The movie called The Jackal is a fictionalized account that is inspired by the legend of Carlos the Jackal. This film gets little into the historical figure though seeks to tell a story of the legend with a single statement of crime as the central premise for the film. Bruce Willis stars as the character The Jackal bent upon transacting a crime for hire with infiltration into the actions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the USA.

(Sidney Poitier as Preston in The Jackal).

Sidney Poitier, as the character Preston, heads an FBI unit tasked with thwarting the criminal enterprise of The Jackal. Preston runs a well run team that uses instinct and judgment in preventing crime. Willing to take risks while also cooperating with foreign intelligence units to prevent the crime to be perpetuated by The Jackal, Preston takes a gamble in seeking the assistance of an imprisoned IRA fighter by the name of Declan Mulqueen.

(Richard Gere as Declan Mulqueen in The Jackal).

Richard Gere is the imprisoned IRA fighter Declan Mulqueen that Preston and the MVD‘s Valentina Koslova, as portrayed by Diane Venora, peg as the support needed to track The Jackal and stop the crime all parties know The Jackal to be plotting while not being clear if The Jackal even exists. A justification for including Mulqueen in the effort to preempt the politically motivated crime is offered in the film.

(Diane Venora as Valentina Koslova in The Jackal).

The rationale that brings about Mulqueen’s support for the preemptive law enforcement effort is that Mulqueen’s primary love interest and would-have-been mother to Mulqueen’s child Isabella, as played by Mathilda May, was purported to have a reliable connection to the Jackal. This cajoled association brings about the movie trope rationale befitting a movie from the 1980s, yet was a narrative device in The Jackal.

The Jackal as a character, meanwhile, has been moving forward with the planning for his criminal enterprise with the acquisition of a high powered repeating rifle, an era appropriate computer and phone system to broach communication and imaging considerations, and thus needed a platform on which to mount the weapon within an era appropriate mini-van. Jack Black as Lamont was that supplier and naive player in the larger narrative of the crime to which the film was building.

(Jack Black as Lamont, left, and Bruce Willis as The Jackal in The Jackal).

FBI agent Witherspoon as played by J.K. Simmons was a member of the team tasked with enforcing the joint FBI/MVD mission to protect people and prevent crime aligned against the efforts being enacted by The Jackal. Witherspoon and MVD operative Valentina Koslova quite possibly share a similar fate in the movie as the effort to prevent crime and thwart the political motivation in play at the hands of The Jackal. Where the movie’s outcome concludes is with a natural confrontation that is required of this type of film, and the tension in how that transpires, in addition to the outcome of the larger crime, were in fact resolved with the film.

(J.K. Simmons as Witherspoon in The Jackal).

There was action, suspense, and turning points of growing tension through The Jackal, so the film worked with regards to including appropriate plot points and narrative structure. The story, despite multiple stars with the chops to carry that story, somewhat disappointed. The feeling of the film, as mentioned, would have been more appropriate given a release date of 1987 rather than 1997. Some of the notions for expressing a more equitable role for ladies in this type of story also were also more contemporary of at least a decade earlier. Given this, and how I felt in response to the film’s resolution, I give The Jackal 3.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Saturday, May 25, 2019