Death On The Nile Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

3. Kenneth Branagh's Slick, Stylish Direction

The aforementioned VFX gripes aside, this is a handsome, well-mounted movie for the most part, and one that warmly embraces the old-school tenor of its source material.

Granted, BAFTA-winning production designer Jim Clay does a lot of the heavy lifting here with the gorgeously ornate ship design, as do the beautiful stylings of Oscar-nominated costume designer Paco Delgado.

This is a frequently ravishing looking movie by those standards alone, but Branagh's smoothly controlled filmmaking also shouldn't be denied.

The slick, roving, dynamic camerawork makes the most of the ship's enclosed spaces, capturing much of the monologuing and high-drama through fluid lengthy takes for maximum impact.

It may not be one of Branagh's finest works as a director, but it's never in doubt that we're watching a highly skilled artist at work.