Kenneth Branagh once again dons two hats in this third adaptation of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, both starring and directing. There is a consistency throughout the films. Seeing our lead with his over-the-top mustache and razor-sharp intellect, solving the mystery is now familiar
and expected. Consistency and familiarity, however, can lead to boredom or weariness if overdone, which is why A Haunting in Venice is such a welcome change. The approach now shifts to that of a supernatural thriller, providing a new context for our hero to do his work.

Set in Venice in the 1940s, we find our Duke of Detection, Hercule Poirot (Branagh), enjoying retirement and refusing to see anyone except the pastry delivery man twice daily. Reading his papers and indulging his sweet tooth, he is content to be free of distractions. Content, at least until an old acquaintance appears, American crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, played by Tina Fey.

Oliver immediately drags Poirot to a seance at a purportedly haunted palazzo by renowned medium Joyce Reynolds, brought to life by the ubiquitous Michelle Yeoh. The home's owner is one Rowena Drake (Kelly Reiley), who claims it is haunted and wishes to speak to her dearly departed daughter. Oliver and Poirot, instead, want to spot a con in action. But as things turn out, they all get something more.

Murder. (But of course)

And so the game is afoot, with the esteemed detective back in his element. Or is he? For aside from the crime that must be solved with logic and reason, he now comes across the supernatural, something by its very nature that defies any rational explanation.

The movie is filled with the trappings of both story types. On the one hand, you have crime, suspects, interrogations, and secrets. Conversely, you have apparitions, phantoms, and strange voices no one else can hear. Our hero is in control and a fish out of water at once, and it is a delight seeing Branagh try to navigate the two.

Out of all three movies to date, this is the most character-centric. The Orient Express and Death on the Nile were engrossing but were focused mainly on the case at hand. In Haunting, we see more of Poirot’s inner struggle, his conflict about shying away from the public’s eye or coming out of retirement, and his struggle to make sense of what appears to be beyond the reckoning of the human mind. His performance's vulnerability draws the audience in as much as the desire to find out who the killer is.

The brisk pace lends to the tense atmosphere, filled with shadowy rooms and hallways, Dutch angle shots, and jump scares. Though not as star-studded as the previous installments, the cast still rose to play their roles with aplomb.

Hallow’en, the book A Haunting In Venice was based on, is not one of the more known works of Agatha Christie, and this works to the film’s advantage. Unlike Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, A Haunting in Venice doesn’t suffer from unavoidable comparisons to
previous versions. Brannah, along with his cast and crew, can start fresh, free from the shadow of any work that could have come before.

After helming and starring in three Hercule Poirot movies, the Agatha Christie adaptations are becoming a passion project for Brannagh that matches Tom Cruise’s love for and dedication to the Mission: Impossible films. One can only hope Branagh’s Poirot movie franchise lasts just as many films, if not more.

A Haunting in Venice is an entertaining movie that combines the crime-mystery and gothic horror genres, managing to balance the two just right so that it is sure to please both audiences. Opening this Sept. 13, it is an exciting and entertaining two hours at the cinema.