The Thursday Murder Club
Adapted from the novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club is more notable for its setting (an outrageously opulent retirement home) and for its cast than its mystery. Through newcomer Joyce (Celia Imrie) we're introduced to Cooper Chase and a group of retirees who spend their time solving old cold cases. Calling themselves the Thursday Murder Club, Joyce is invited to join Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), and Ibraim (Ben Kingsley) first offering her medical expertise on the group's latest unsolved case and later the current death of the property manager which, thanks to coincidence of the most outlandish degree, will be linked together before all is said and done.
The film is a bit too cute both in the ease the seniors take advantage of local law enforcement (and underworld figures) and in connecting dots from cases across decades together for a simple solution that neatly wraps up various threads. That said, the cast is certainly enjoying themselves here and the film ticks most of the boxes for a fun TV-movie.
The Thursday Murder Club works best when it attempts to keep things light and focuses on the various shenanigans the group get up to in order to DCI Hudson (Daniel Mays) to allow Donna (Naomi Ackie) access to the case, allowing them further access as well. Tying the fate of Cooper Chase to the mystery heightens the stakes on its own, and the script doesn't really need to force anything else into the narrative. When it attempts to tie together the old cold case through a chance grave digging, or enlarge the role of Ron's son (Tom Ellis) into the investigation, things get a bit more hit-and-miss. If you're looking a good time with plenty of familiar faces you could do worse, but if you are looking for a murder mystery to sink your teeth into you might find this one a bit lean.
Watch the trailer- Title: The Thursday Murder Club
- IMDb: link
