(He has denied them and said that whatever occurred within these relationships was consensual. Seeing Hammer introduced this way, in such an aggressively physical and sexual manner, makes it impossible to ignore the allegations of assault and abuse that several women have made against the actor. But there’s a show for Poirot to take in on the floor, as well: the handsome Simon Doyle (Hammer) and his vivacious fiancée, Jacqueline de Bellefort ( Emma Mackey), are tearing it up with an erotic, acrobatic dance. Her niece, Wright’s Rosalie Otterbourne, is also her tough-as-nails manager. Jumping ahead to 1937 London, we see the established and adored Poirot entering a packed and jumping blues club, where Okonedo’s Salome Otterbourne is performing on stage. I would rather have watched the rest of that movie it had texture and verve to it.

A convincingly de-aged Branagh also allows us to witness the origin story of Poirot’s signature mustache, which launches the film on a note of shock and heartbreak. Branagh and Green’s cleverest and most compelling move is the flashback they’ve attached at the start: a striking, black-and-white depiction of the young Poirot in the trenches of World War I, where he demonstrates the resourcefulness and sharp wit that will become his trademarks. But it takes an awful long time for the proceedings to get going and the tension to begin mounting. “Orient Express” writer Michael Green returns to adapt the screenplay, and he’s made some tweaks, which provide some welcome diversity Sophie Okonedo and Letitia Wright are the primary standouts among the ensemble cast.

Agatha christie nile