By Steve Crum
What hath Agatha Christie (1890-1976) wrought when she first wrote about elderly amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in 1927? The fictional Miss Marple led to her being featured in numerous short stories, novels and motion pictures. It is no coincidence there have been a number of novels, TV shows and films since then that have included an aged citizen detective solving murders.
Take the most recent movie, The Thursday Murder Club, currently streaming on Netflix. It is a terrific showcase for not one, but four senior citizens teaming up to solve a murder. Directed by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone) and based on Richard Osman’s book of the same name. The Thursday Murder Club covers 118 minutes of a murder case that evolves into multiple murders. It is fortunate that the four inhabitants at Berkshire, England’s Cooper’s Chase Retirement Home have already formed their own sort of private club of murder solving enthusiasts. They focus on cold cases that have never been solved.
That the grimly fun film is headlined by four Hollywood names truly adds to the desire to watch it. (One name I did not know is Celia Imrie, who plays nurse Joyce Meadowcroft.) Her fellow residents and compatriots in sleuthing are Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, union leader; Helen Mirren as spy Elizabeth Best; and Ben Kingsley’s Ibrahim Arif, a psychiatrist.
We find out about each of their backstories as Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote’s screenplay unfolds.
That progression begins as the film opens with a woman being pushed from her window, after which the four decide to investigate. As the local police investigate, so do the Thursdays.
In the midst, another person is killed—a prime suspect. Then another is mysteriously killed. At this point, our four detectives are working overtime via interviews and pursuing clues. It’s all pretty engaging and sometimes a bit confusing. Without giving away too much, it seems the future of Cooper’s Chase is a factor in all the doings.
A plus to the film is the casting of David Tenant and Jonathan Pryce in major rolls.
True, the title and overall concept smacks of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, but The Thursday Murder Club has a unique spin that makes it well worth watching.
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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+