The 2017 film Murder on the Orient Express gave us a Hercule Poirot for a new generation. Played by actor Kenneth Branagh, who also directed, this Poirot was a bit less fussy and had a lot more mustache. One of Agatha Christie’s most beloved and well-known creations—he appears in more than thirty novels and fifty short stories—Hercule Poirot is a finicky Belgian detective who solves murders driven by hate, love, jealousy, and shadowy motivations that he always untangles.
When I first went into 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, I only vaguely remembered the plot, and so I was captivated by the twists and turns laid out before me. The Branagh version stayed primarily true to the source material while adding in a lot of movie star power and a few more over-the-top action sequences. Branagh’s Poirot is a tentpole movie Poirot writ large, but they haven’t changed what makes the great detective really tick. And so now, with the release of the trailer for Death on the Nile, I’m in the same boat (sorry) and I can’t wait to see where this twisty tale takes Poirot and the wide range of star-studded suspects.
With a cast so beautiful—I feel like crying just looking at them and their outfits that I would wear right this very second—the trailer for Death on the Nile checks all the boxes. The trailer does a great job of showing the glamorous Nile river cruise that is the backdrop to the story, alongside the movie star power that will lure in those who might not normally gravitate toward this kind of movie. What are we in for? Well: “How many great stories are tragedies?” Poirot asks.
Here are some general takeaways from my trailer-watching experience:
Would I wear Emma Mackey’s little crop top? Yes, yes I would. But also like any Kenneth Branagh movie, everything looks stunningly wrought and dramatic in the best possible way. Branagh, who returns as Poirot and also directed this film, has this way of bringing stories to life that are both absurd and very real, and he’s a master at capturing your attention. It was this way in Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile seems to be in the same vein. Branagh always just goes for it full-tilt.
With a song from Depeche Mode, “Policy of Truth,” playing in the background and a cast that makes you say “what?” every time a new character appears, Death on the Nile is … right up my alley. Starring Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Emma Mackey, Annette Benning, Sophie Okonedo, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, and so many more, the all-star cast is just the tip of the iceberg here.
The trailer’s appearance today also excited fans because let’s be honest, a lot of us forgot this movie was coming out this year. It’s 2020 and no one remembers anything anymore. So this felt like a treat from the trailer gods.
The Agatha Cristie universe is my kind of thing. #MurderOnTheOrientExpress #DeathOnTheNile pic.twitter.com/KVz9jGGQBL
— Matthew Boemio ʬ⁸⁴ #TPP (@mattbo_0) August 19, 2020
i personally love that Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile is just gonna be Armie Hammer making out
— Carrie Wittmer 👻 (@carriesnotscary) August 19, 2020
these are some sleeves i like pic.twitter.com/oG5NpgzG9X
— Leah Marilla Thomas (@leahmarilla) August 19, 2020
Hey. I directed French & Saunders on a boat too. #deathonthenile pic.twitter.com/jasdYjC1dP
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) August 19, 2020
Gal Gadot from the #DeathOnTheNile trailer. pic.twitter.com/7tuy0wTvNb
— gal gadot gifs (@gadotgifs) August 19, 2020
👏🏻ken👏🏻neth 👏🏻ken👏🏻neth 👏🏻ken👏🏻neth 👏🏻ken👏🏻neth👏🏻 https://t.co/RbmWUzGXE7
— Hannah Blechman (@hsblechman) August 19, 2020
Pretty excited for this one @DOTNMovie #DeathOnTheNile pic.twitter.com/aAUWBRwFyW
— Alexandra Hurtado (@AliMarieHurtado) August 19, 2020
Without looking at the cast list for Death on the Nile…who would you say this is? pic.twitter.com/20WJJdCaRj
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) August 19, 2020
That Death on the Nile cast is so random it’s bordering on chaotic. I’ll take it.
— Amy West (@TV_amyy) August 19, 2020
The brilliance of Agatha Christie’s work is that we are often shocked and amazed anew, even if we know the big reveals going in. She could spin a story so expertly that it still remains relevant nearly 100 years later (Death on the Nile was published in 1937). Christie tapped into elements of human nature that ring true no matter the era.
I can’t wait to see where Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile takes us. If it wasn’t the all-star cast or Poirot or anything else this trailer is giving me, I’d be there for the gorgeous outfits and evocative setting. In the meantime, as we wait for the movie’s (hopeful) release date of October 23, 2020, listen to some Depeche Mode with me:
(image: 20th Century Fox)
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