Kenneth Branagh's second directorial effort this year (released just weeks after the personal and more obviously worthy Belfast) is the follow-up to his lucrative 2017 Agatha Christie adaptation Murder On The Orient Express. It also sees Branagh slip back into the immaculately shined shoes of iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who's hunting for a killer on an elegant steamship in 1937.

Events revolve around the obscenely wealthy and somewhat 'killably' smug Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) who steals her best chum's fiancé Simon (played, rather unfortunately for the filmmakers, by Armie Hammer who last year became the subject of numerous allegations). This leaves said friend (Emma Mackey's Jacqueline) to fume bitterly and pop up annoyingly to spoil the pair's fun. When she follows the lovers on their Egyptian honeymoon, to which they have also invited a collection of family and friends, Jacqueline appears to have murder on her mind. However, once the crime has been committed, the solution is not as simple as it seems. Luckily, a holidaying Poirot is on hand to sift through the suspects and wrap things up.

The eclectic cast combines esteemed actors (Annette Bening, Branagh himself), rising stars (Letitia Wright, Sex Education's Mackey), straight-faced comedians (French and Saunders, a vaguely incognito Russell Brand), and those better known for their TV work (Rose Leslie and Tom Bateman, the latter resuming his role as Bouc from Murder On The Orient Express). Uncertain accents abound while its clutch of players are certainly less starry than the Orient Express ensemble, which counted Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench and Penélope Cruz amongst its passengers.

Given its exotic setting and glamorous, uber-rich victim, Death On The Nile is one of Christie's most filmable stories and, undeniably, a cracking mystery. However, the enduring popularity of the author's novels and the endlessly replayed 1978 version will mean many are familiar with exactly who 'dunnit' and, for them, spending two hours plus on the unmasking may feel tiresome, with minor changes altering the outcome very little. Those coming to it fresh, or who have quite simply forgotten the plot, should have a fine enough time.

Mackey and Bening lend some passion to their performances yet, for most of the cast, there's scant opportunity to impress, while attempts at fleshing out Poirot himself fall flat (including the baffling backstory of his moustache and a spark-free crack at some romantic interest). Branagh does a bit of showboating, especially during the reveal, but he's fundamentally miscast, never really inhabiting the character or seeming at ease with the accent. It's hard to banish the memory of TV's Poirot, the infinitely superior David Suchet who had years to refine his performance, and Branagh is also in the shadow of Peter Ustinov, the more charismatic star of that 1978 version.

Death On The Nile feels a bit old hat when set against the subversive and abundantly more entertaining Knives Out, which reinvigorated the murder-mystery whilst doffing its cap to convention. If Branagh fails to freshen things up, he does at least deliver in the most basic terms. Audiences hankering after location porn, fabulous gowns, familiar faces and dastardly deeds can expect to have their appetite pretty much satisfied.

Death On The Nile is in cinemas from Friday 11 February.