I love a good classic mystery and with an interesting plot one can usually forgive other flaws. For this one, after about half an hour I considered leaving (but thought, nope, I paid for the ticket.) It didn't get better. There's nothing wrong with the storyline, but it's played so rote and formulaic, it's like none of the actors are truly invested, they're all flat. In this one, Hercule has none of the idiosyncrasies that lend him some kooky charm, just a few typical Hercule-isms thrown in as a sop to the character, that even he seems bored with. Most irritating was that every scene ends with something designed to make you jump -- a loud bang, a door blown open by the wind, a ghostly apparition appearing and disappearing - they're just lame, cheap shots for surprise factor and it actually gets predictable and tedious. Suspense is totally missing and the movie feels much longer than it actually is. I'm rating this a six because the scenes of Venice are quite lovely, there are some intriguingly shot images and good set design, and the basic workmanship is fine. Otherwise, it's a very forgettable flick.
Review of A Haunting in Venice
