Written by Katy Brand And Suzanne Heathcote
Directed by Chris Columbus
Joyce: "Who's us?"
Elizabeth: "I'm sorry, how rude of me. We're the Thursday Murder Club."
During the weekend, I wanted something a little fun but not a straight up comedy. In a lot of ways, this latest release from Netflix was the perfect thing to watch.
You've got a posh retirement community named Cooper's Chase and in it, you've got four leads who made up the titular club. They're an eclectic bunch made up of a retired spy, nurse, psychiatrist and a trade union leader.
These characters are Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie), Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley) and Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan). They're a fun bunch who like to solve mysteries with Joyce being latest member to join the group.
They also get the biggest mystery to solve when local businesseman Ian Bentham (David Tennant) threatened to tear down their retirement home for his own business needs. He's opposed by the home's owner, Tony Curran (Geoff Bell) and it didn't take long for Curran to end up dead.
Immediately that put Ian into the frame but it also had the Thursday Murder Club team up with policewoman Donna De Freitas (Naomi Ackie) and DCI Chris Hudson (Daniel Mays) to solve the case and save their home from being sold off. There's plenty of twists before the actual culprit, Bogdan (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) was revealed.
During the movie while the main case moved along, there was the resolution of a woman in white with a fellow retiree knowing more than they let on. I also liked the inclusion of Ron's boxer son Jason (Tom Ellis), Joyce's hedgefund daughter Joanna (Ingrid Oliver) and Elizabeth's husband, Stephen (Jonathan Pryce), all of whom are great in their respective supporting roles.
- The movie's based on a book series by Richard Osman (who's married to Ingrid Oliver).
- Jason's been doing celebrity shows since his retirement from boxing. Richard E. Grant also popped up as mobster Bobby Tanner.
- Ol Parker was the original director but was replaced by Chris Columbus after filming was able to resume, post writers/actors strike.
- Chronology: Present day in a retirement village in Kent.
The Thursday Murder Club feels like the type of cosy detective dramas that both BBC and ITV do in their sleep, albeit with a slightly bigger cast. It's a fun way to spend two hours and it's even genuinely funny and touching in parts.
Rating: 7 out of 10
