How A Haunting In Venice Became The Third Modern Poirot Movie With A Problematic Actor

Kenneth Branagh's new mystery "A Haunting in Venice" is the third film he has made based on the Hercule Poirot novels by Agatha Christie. His first was "Murder on the Orient Express" in 2017, and his second with "Death on the Nile" in 2022. Branagh also played Poirot in all three of these movies, giving the filmmaker an organic excuse to paste the world's most ridiculous mustaches on his face. In the former, in particular, he seems to sport two whole mustaches, one on each cheek. 

The Poirot mysteries are well-fitted to Branagh's sensibilities. He has long been comfortable with outside productions, lavish visuals, and theatrical storytelling. He also often tells stories that require large ensembles, and Branagh has always had a talent for attracting some of the world's biggest movie stars and most prestigious actors to appear in his movies. His 1996 version of "Hamlet" may be the ur-example, as Branagh famously hired notable actors of towering stature to play bit parts throughout the tale of the indecisive Dane. Billy Crystal played the First Gravedigger, and Charlton Heston played the Player King. Gérard Depardieu played ... Reynaldo? Who the heck was Reynaldo? One can also point to the filmmaker's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," or his other Shakespearean movies as samples of Branagh's acumen at assembling ensembles. 

One thing the director could not have predicted, however, is the personal lives of his actors, a fact that has affected the way audiences have viewed his first two Poirot movies. "Murder on the Orient Express," one might recall, starred Johnny Depp, while "Death on the Nile" heavily featured Armie Hammer. Their scandals will be talked about briefly below. 

This leaves "A Haunting in Venice" as the first Poirot movie that arrives without such extreme baggage, but not without a sprinkle of casting controversy.

It seems that Poirot is a victim of bad timing twice over. "Murder on the Orient Express" was released on November 10, 2017, shortly after Johnny Depp had divorced actress Amber Heard. Details of their abusive relationship began to leak into the public, and many became wary of supporting anything Depp had to do with. With "Express," some found it easy to overlook Depp's presence as he was the murder mystery's celebrity victim, and his character — John Cassetti, aka Edward Ratchett — was a villainous criminal who was killed off early on. The bulk of the film focuses on the myriad suspects on board the titular train. As more and more details about the Depp/Heard divorce became public, fewer and fewer people wanted to see Depp in any capacity. "Murder on the Orient Express" is a brilliant film, but one will have to watch Johnny Depp. 

The timing got even worse with "Death on the Nile," a film that suffered from two major bouts of bad luck simultaneously. The first was the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the film's release to be delayed by over two years. When it finally did hit theaters in 2022, some news about leading man Armie Hammer had just been released to the public. 2021 saw some leaked texts from the actor wherein he propositioned various women — while he was married — to engage in strange and violent sexual fantasies. At first, Hammer's behavior could only be described as caddish and perhaps strange (I'm certainly not going to kink-shame anyone), but further details soon came out that he was also aggressive and abusive to several of his previous partners. 

With the allegations being investigated, "Death on the Nile" hit theaters. One might note that Hammer barely appears in the previews. 

It took the public until Depps and Heard's messy and public 2022 divorce trial that many soured on Depp in earnest. His output has slowed considerably. Hammer, meanwhile, was ousted entirely, was dropped from major projects, and hasn't worked since 2017. As a result, it might be difficult for any mildly aware audience member to watch Branagh's first two Poirot movies without wincing a little bit. The films are both good, but recommendations must come with a caveat. 

Thank goodness Branagh likes making these films, as he has finally put out a third, "A Haunting in Venice," and it contains no scandalous or problematic male leads. Michelle Yeoh, who plays an itinerant psychic, appears to possess the most upstanding character. I certainly can find no scandals in the life of Kelly Reilly, and the worst one can say about Jamie Dornan is that he starred in those terrible "Fifty Shades of Grey" movies. Camille Cottin also appears, and she seems to be living a life of decency and without crimes. 

However ... 

Tina Fey, who plays a plucky mystery author named Ariadne Oliver, has a few things worthy of discussion in her career. She's not committed any domestic abuse, but she has written a lot of tasteless, race-based jokes on shows like "30 Rock" and "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." When confronted, Fey said she doesn't like to make public apologies (Although she eventually did). Her brusque attitude, however, has soured some people on Fey's work. 

But at least one doesn't need to prepare themselves for Hammer or Depp popping in. Instead, one can just see Yeoh's face and say "I love Michelle Yeoh" without qualification. Which is easy to do, because everyone in the world loves Michelle Yeoh.

Curious that Branagh can't make one of these without a touch of casting controversy.