The Thursday Murder Club

SPOILERS!

This year's THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, a recent release on the Netflix streaming service, is the very definition of cozy.  The sort of mystery for those who prefer the aesthetics of Downton Abbey over something like SEVEN.  Or even KNIVES OUT.  Ideal fare for fans of Murder, She Wrote.  You get the idea.  Director Chris Columbus, known for some of the HOME ALONE and HARRY POTTER movies, is in the chair but does not make this venture very cinematic.  Most of this movie's pleasures are derived from its distinguished cast.

We meet a group of folks at Coopers Chase, a retirement village in England, a sprawling estate in which you could only hope to live out your final years.  For fun our merry seniors meet weekly to try to solve cold police cases.  Helen Mirren leads the aged sleuths as Elizabeth, former Mi6 officer/spy.  Pierce Brosnan is Ron, retired union leader.  Ben Kingsley is Ibrahim, retired psychiatrist.  Into their fold comes Joyce (Celia Imrie), a retired nurse.  A previous member of the Thursday Murder Club, Penny (Susan Kirkby), a retired police inspector, lies in a coma in the hospice wing.  It turns out that the TMC's latest unsolved case was handled by Penny over fifty years ago.

A new murder case will emerge: Tony Curran (Geoff Bell), co-owner of the land upon which Coopers Chase sits, is found dead in his home one afternoon.  Bad news for the gang as Tony was the only thing stopping his partner, the slimy Ian Ventham (David Tennant) from bulldozing their home.  For a new retail center with luxury condos, of course.  But then Ian dies.  And a skeleton is found atop a casket in someone's grave.  The TMC have their hands full.

So does the young put-upon young constable called Donna de Freitas (Naomi Ackie), devalued by her peers and especially DCI Chris Hudson (Daniel Mays), her superior.  Although as the film progresses her role will be minimized.  This is the grey haired contingents' story, love.

The screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote is based on Richard Osman's well liked novel.  The mysteries are lightly engaging.  How the latter day intrigue ties in with the cold case is fairly clever.  None of this would matter if we didn't connect with the characters.  All are sketched well enough, and the entire (well selected) cast is a delight.  Mirren attacks her role amusingly.

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB also proves to be big hearted, a tonic to all the cynical offerings these days.  There is always room for Earl Grey paired intrigue in my world.