Kenneth Branagh scored a surprise hit at the box office in 2017 with the snowy whodunit Murder on the Orient Express. The new film adaptation of the book of the same name written by crime goddess Agatha Christie became the start of a new film series about the private detective Hercule Poirot.
The sequel followed five years later, Death on the Nile. Once again Branagh plunged into a tricky murder case, this time against the sunny backdrop of Egypt, where a gruesome crime occurs: the wealthy Linnet Ridgeway Doyle (Gal Gadot) is murdered in her sleep on a paddle steamer on her honeymoon.
But who is the murderer? Be careful, follow it spoiler!
Death on the Nile: Who Murdered Linnet Ridgeway Doyle?
In Death on the Nile there are not just one, but two murderers: Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), Linnet’s husband, and Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey) planned the murder together for a long time. In reality, the two are engaged. Jacqueline arranged the marriage between Simon and Linnet. As Linnet’s husband, Simon would have been the one to inherit her fortune upon her death.
You can watch the trailer for Death on the Nile here:
Death on the Nile – Trailer (German) HD
Hercule Poirot can convict them both. Jacqueline was there on the night of the murder Blank cartridges on Simon shot to simulate another conflict. Thanks to the red paint that Simon stole from Euphemia Bouc (Annette Bening), his injury appears real. Bouc (Tom Bateman) and Rosalie (Letitia Wright) alert nurse Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French) to sedate Jacqueline.
Simon uses this diversionary maneuver to sneak into Linnet’s bedchamber with the weapon. There he shoots his wife, before he shoots himself in the leg – this time with a real bullet. So the injury is really real when Dr. Windlesham (Russell Brand) arrives to investigate. When everything comes to light in the end, Jacqueline first shoots her fiancé, Simon, and then herself.
How does the crime story continue after Death on the Nile?
A third part of the crime series has now been published: A Haunting in Venice. The story takes place two years after the Second World War and tells of a visibly scarred Poirot who has retreated to Venice. With crime he wants have nothing more to do. Just then, an old acquaintance – the author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) – shows up and draws his attention to a new case.
You can watch the trailer for A Haunting in Venice here:
A Haunting in Venice – Trailer (German) HD
Ariadne reports on the medium Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), who can supposedly make contact with the afterlife. Poirot should convict her. However, during the séance in a creepy palazzo, things happen that even the otherwise brilliant mind cannot explain. Poirot must question everything he ever thought he knew. The story is loosely based on the Christie original
The Snow White Party.
Where can you watch the Hercule Poirot films?
Death on the Nile will celebrate its free TV premiere on Sat.1 on October 29, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. Alternatively, you can stream the film on Disney+. The first part of the series is also there. A Haunting in Venice is currently showing in individual cinemas and should also arrive on Disney+ in the next few months.
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