DEATH IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Venice, 1947; Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is enjoying his retirement when a friend (Tina Fey) of his draws him into a murder mystery involving a medium (Michelle Yeoh).

Branagh’s third film as Poirot was based on a lesser known Agatha Christie story and is set in a palazzo that seems haunted; soon, he’s trapped with a bunch of murder suspects and doesn’t know anymore if he can trust his own eyes. Branagh and his crew love their horror tricks, but the visuals are a big plus.

Less star-studded than previous entries, but Fey is fun as a cheeky crime writer and it’s an interesting, well-directed mystery.

2023-U.S. 103 min. Color. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Novel: Agatha Christie (”Hallowe’en Party”). Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos. Cast: Kenneth Branagh (Hercule Poirot), Tina Fey (Ariadne Oliver), Jamie Dornan (Leslie Ferrier), Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Michelle Yeoh.

Trivia: Co-produced by Branagh and Ridley Scott.