2022’s Death on the Nile is the second Hercule Poirot adaptation directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Christie’s famous Belgium detective.

After a brief prolog set during World War I, supplying some details of Poirot’s background, and a short sequence in a London Jazz club establishing some of the central characters the story starts off in earnest along the Nile river where, by seeming chance, encounter Poirot meets with an old friend and is soon entwined with a wealthy heiress’ wedding celebration. The heiress, Linnet Ridgeway and her husband are fearful a jealous ex-lover is stalking and may do harm to Linnet for stealing away her fiancé. Also aboard are a collection of eccentric characters who later all are revealed to have possible motivations for murder.

A good half of the film is dedicated to the set-up, giving the audience plenty of time to learn about the characters from their actions before Murder starts the tension climbing. After the murder and with suspicions quite high life aboard the chartered steamer turns dangerous and with its body count Death on the Nile does a far impression of a slasher where the kills are not graphically on screen.

Unlike the previous film in the adaptation series, Murder on the Orient Express, the resolution is quite believable though pushed the edge of credibility. The screenplay retains Christie’s hobbit of withholding some clue and revealing them only in the detective monolog but aside from that aspect the movie is quite enjoyable. Apparently invented for this film the background on Poirot gave the story some added depth and emotional resonance.

Death on the Nile is a decent film, better that Murder on the Orient Express and worth a watch.