This is a typical whodunit written by Agatha Christie in the early 1930s, although the movie and book are a bit different. It features Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and starts when a socialite named Linnet Ridgeway Doyle tries to convince him to stop her former friend Jacqueline de Bellefort from stalking her. She is stalking Linnet because Linnet married her former lover Simon Doyle.
They are all aboard the steamer Karnak, which is set to tour along the Nile River. Other passengers include Linnet’s maid Louise Bourget and trustee Andrew Pennington, along with a novelist named Salome Otterbourne and her daughter Rosalie, Tim Allerton and his mother Marie Van Schuyler, her cousin Cornelia Robson, and a few others who figure prominently in the story.
While in Abu Simbel, Linnet is almost crushed to death by a large boulder, which everyone assumes Jacqueline pushed off the cliff. Poirot also runs into friend Colonel Race, who claims there is a murderer on board that he’s trying to catch. Later on in the lounge, Jacqueline expresses how she is angry with Simon and shoots him in the leg.
There are several murders throughout the trip, including the murder of Linnet. In the end, it is revealed that Jacqueline and Simon were still a couple, and that Simon married Linnet so he could steal her money then reunite with Jacqueline. But when the plan is revealed and the passengers disembark, Jacqueline shoots and kills Simon and then herself.
Here is a list of the main characters in Death on the Nile:
Kenneth Branagh (Hercule Poirot)
Poirot is a world-renowned Belgian detective and former police officer. When Linnet Doyle wants him to stop Jacqueline from stalking her, he denies the offer. Nevertheless, he becomes involved with Linnet and Jacqueline soon enough after they board the Karnak for their tour along the Nile.
Along the way, Poirot discovers that when Jacqueline shot Simon in the leg, it was a fake injury because she didn’t really shoot him. He also gets involved in a few other murders while on the steamer, including the murders of Mrs. Otterbourne, Louise Bourget, and eventually, Simon. In his usual fashion, he figures out who murdered these people by the time the passengers disembark.
Dawn French (Miss Bowers)
Bowers is the nurse of elderly socialite Marie Van Schuyler. When Linnet is found dead, it is noticed that her genuine pearl necklace is missing. Later on, Miss Bowers returns the necklace to Poirot, claiming that her employer Miss Van Schuyler stole it because she is a kleptomaniac. However, Poirot notices afterward that the necklace is a fake. Miss Bowers travels with Miss Van Schuyler on all of their trips together.
Gal Gadot (Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle)
Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is an ex-friend of Jacqueline de Bellefort. When the two first meet, Jacqueline and Simon Doyle are a couple, but soon he is Linnet’s fiance and husband. Linnet, Jacqueline, and Simon all end up on the Karnak on its tour that travels along the Nile River and stops several times along the way.
Linnet is a rich and very self-centered individual. Eventually, she is found murdered on the Karnak, and everyone assumes it is Jacqueline who murdered her. In the end, however, it is revealed that her husband Simon is the one who murdered her and it was all in his plans to get rid of Linnet so that he and Jacqueline could be together again – along with Linnet’s money.
Armie Hammer (Simon Doyle)
Simon Doyle is Jacqueline’s ex-fiance. He eventually dumps her for Linnet. He is not the brightest person on the planet, which is why he goes along with Jacqueline’s plan to marry Linnet, have her murdered, then take her money so that he could be with Jacqueline again. But things don’t go as they plan.
When Jacqueline “shoots” Simon, she deliberately misses. Later, he shoots himself in the leg before being seen by a doctor on the ship. He originally put red nail polish on his leg after his “fake” injury, before he decides to shoot his leg, and the polish becomes an important clue toward the end of the film. In the end, it is Simon Doyle who is found to be the murderer of his wife Linnet.
Emma Mackey (Jacqueline de Bellefort)
Jacqueline starts out as a friend of Linnet Ridgeway, but after Linnet steals her fiance Simon Doyle from her, the pair are no longer friends. Jacqueline follows Linnet and Simon aboard the ship Karnak, which is touring several places along the Nile River. After she “shoots” Simon in the leg, she kicks her pistol away and it is eventually found in the Nile River.
It is revealed during the movie that Jacqueline intentionally missed when she shot at Simon, that the two are still a pair, and that together they planned the marriage so they could get rid of Linnet and be together again with her money. But naturally, there are bumps and surprises along the way, as there always are in Agatha Christie’s works.
Sophie Okonedo (Salome Otterbourne)
Salome is an American blues singer who performs at the wedding of Linnet and Simon. She is Rosalie Otterbourne’s aunt and in the book, she is an author who writes romance novels. When Linnet’s maid Louise is murdered, Mrs. Otterbourne tells Poirot that she knows who the killer is, but before she confesses the name of the killer to him, she herself is found dead.
Later, it is revealed that Jacqueline killed Mrs. Otterbourne. Mrs. Otterbourne saw Jacqueline enter Louise’s room shortly before she was murdered, and Jacqueline killed Mrs. Otterbourne so that she wouldn’t be able to tell the truth to anyone. While Mrs. Otterbourne did meet with Poirot about the murder of Louise, she did not get the opportunity to mention what she’d seen.
Jennifer Saunders (Marie Van Schuyler)
Marie Van Schuyler is a very wealthy American socialite. Her nurse Miss Bowers always travels with her. She has contempt for most of mankind and also happens to be a kleptomaniac. When Linnet is found murdered, she is found without her beloved pearl necklace, and it is later revealed that Miss Van Schuyler is the one who stole it.
In addition, when Jacqueline’s pistol is recovered in the Nile River, it is found wrapped in an expensive stole that Miss Van Schuyler had reported missing the previous day. While Miss Van Schuyler is proven to enjoy stealing things, she is not a murderer and does no harm to anyone on the ship.
Rose Leslie (Louise Bourget)
Louise is Linnet’s chambermaid and is eventually found dead aboard the Karnak. On the night of Linnet’s murder, she witnessed Simon going into Linnet’s cabin, and she planned to blackmail him. But when Jacqueline found out about this, she ended up stabbing Louise to death. Later, Mrs. Otterbourne witnesses Jacqueline going into Louise’s room, which is why Mrs. Otterbourne ends up dead as well.
Other characters in the movie include:
Tom Bateman (Bouc)
Bouc is Poirot’s friend and the Orient Express’s owner’s nephew.
Annette Bening (Euphemia Bouc)
Euphemia is Bouc’s mother and a painter. This is also a character that was created just for the movie.
Letitia Wright (Rosalie Otterbourne)
Rosalie is Salome Otterbourne’s niece.
Russell Brand (Dr. Windlesham)
Dr. Windlesham is a physician aboard the Karnak.