Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 58 minutes, Director – Chris Columbus
When a murder means the future of their retirement complex is put at threat, a club of cold case solvers (Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan) set out to solve the case and save their home.
Having heard interviews and conversations with Richard Osman about his hit Thursday Murder Club novels the impression I have of the novels is a series of self-aware yet cosy mysteries led by the charm of the characters. If this is the case, then in translation to the screen some of the character detail may have been lost, or the starry cast relied on for that, and the self-awareness may have been swapped for more traditional leanings. Yet, that tradition still manages to bring in a cosy aesthetic to everything that plays out.
Cosiness is the overriding factor of The Thursday Murder Club, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a simple, likable murder-mystery for the time it’s on that wouldn’t feel out of place (in f-bomb free form) on a Sunday afternoon BBC or ITV1 schedule. Will it linger long in the mind? Likely not. But, thanks to the cast the characters make for likable viewing as they try to find the person who murdered one of the owners (Geoff Bell) of the expansive retirement complex they live in, likely with the aim of pushing through a sale to convert the building into luxury flats.
A real murder provides a burst of excitement for the titular club, made up of former MI6 figure Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) trade union lead Ron (Pierce Brosnan) and new-recruit nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie), however they soon start to experience signs that they’re getting involved in something much darker, and far beyond their usual discussions of cold cases. The quartet appear to be enjoying each others company both on and off screen, and it helps to bring a burst of amusement and further likability to the characters that we see. A handful of gags work, largely helped by the energy that’s brought. Yet, there’s also a sense of emotion on one or two occasions which while slightly separate in tone to the rest of the film fits in rather well.
Elizabeth returns each day to her flat and her husband Stephen (Jonathan Pryce), often sitting at a small table with a chess set laid out on top of it. There’s a gentleness to their scenes as Stephen’s dementia is made clear, with Pryce giving an equally subdued yet effective performance with his very brief screen-time. Providing some of the most impactful moments and scenes. The rest of the ensemble, including Naomi Ackie as a police officer constantly given menial tasks around the station instead of proper detective work and David Tennant as the other owner of Coopers Chase, planning on making the sale, appear to also be having a good time and add to the overall easy-viewing nature of the film.
The narrative at hand may not be the most gripping or thrilling, but it has its moments and as a whole the tone is just right to make for that aforementioned cosy mystery style which seems to be aimed for and achieved. With the cast relaxed into their roles and the strands at play, which can sometimes feel more distant than perhaps intended, especially just as they’re being brought together, The Thursday Murder Club generally cruises along with few bumps as the mystery unfolds. If you’re looking for something more complex and rooted in twists and turns then Knives Out this is not, nor is it trying to be – and perhaps in the wake of being spoilt by those films there’s an expectancy from some for this to be more like that. But, for what it does, and seems to aim for, The Thursday Murder Club is generally successful in being a light, likable Sunday afternoon murder mystery.
Constructed with a good deal of tradition, The Thursday Murder Club is a largely unchallenging slice of cosy murder-mystery that might sometimes lean a bit too much into its starry cast, but still makes for likable viewing whilst on.
Just A Little Bit Random 