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A Haunting in Venice (2023)

 


A Haunting in Venice is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel of the same name.

Directing and starring Kenneth Branagh, the film tries to be both scary and a mystery. I didn't have any glaring issues with the direction other than the film was boring. You're not invested in the characters and the film was a reason for Branagh to play a Sherlock Holmes-type investigator. 

Both Tina Fey and Michelle Yeoh phone it in and just walk through the motions of the film which really disappoints me as I know Yeoh's range with Everything Everywhere All at Once. Fey on the other hand, I'm a complete fan of but she didn't really do much in the film despite having a lot of lines. 

Jamie Dornan is one step in the acting grave. It seems that he can't shake that Fifty Shades of Grey stink. Heart of Stone didn't help his career either earlier this year. I'm honestly getting tired of seeing him try to act.

The film doesn't know what it is. If it's a mystery it needs to lean hard into the mystery aspect and not try to promote the film as a horror. Result: C-

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