The Thursday Murder Club

Greetings again from the darkness. This is the type of movie that almost begs to be criticized, while at the same time, deserves to be enjoyed for being exactly what it tries to be. Author Richard Osman now has five books in this series, and the first has been adapted by co-writers Katy Brand (GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE, 2022) and Suzanne Heathcote ("Fear the Walking Dead"). It's directed by Chris Columbus, known for HOME ALONE (1990), MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993) and a couple of the Harry Potter movies. These are professionals who know how to entertain ... and just as importantly, they know how to cast.

Take two Oscar winners, a former James Bond, a few British acting stalwarts, and add in a stunning English countryside manor and a murder mystery, and the result is low-key, crowd-pleasing entertainment (even if it panders a bit to its target audience). The setting is Cooper Chase, a scrumptious estate serving as a much-desired retirement home. Hobbies among the residents include the expected crafts, archery, crosswords, sudoku, jigsaw puzzling, and various committees. The most unusual is the Thursday Murder Club, where Elizabeth (Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren), Ron (former 007 Pierce Brosnan), and Ibrahim (Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley) meet up to discuss an open police case provided by Elizabeth's now comatose ex-cop friend.

It doesn't take long for new resident Joyce (Celia Imrie, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, 2011) to be accepted into the club, where her nursing experience perfectly complements the diverse skills of former union leader Ron, former psychiatrist Ibrahim, and the mysteriously clever Elizabeth (whose background takes a while to come to light). Greedy owner Ian Ventham (David Tennant) wants to transition the home into luxury condos, and this irritates the residents while putting a spotlight on the other two owners, Tony Curran (Geoff Bell) and Bobby Tanner (Richard E Grant).

When the murder occurs, the TMC springs into action with a "real" case. If they can solve it, they may even save Cooper Chase for all residents. The story unfolds in the manner of most whodunits, and our attention is on the main characters as well as others who come into play: Stephen (Jonathan Pryce) is Elizabeth's dementia-stricken husband, DCI Chris Hudson (Daniel Mays) doesn't appreciate the talents of TMC, while his assistant, Officer Donna de Freitas (Naomie Ackie) certainly does.

The clues, the research, and the disclosure of mastermind Elizabeth's past are all fun to watch, and Joyce's obsession with baking fancy cakes provides a necessary distraction at times. Fifteen-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman provides the score, and we also get a bit of T Rex ("Bang a Gong"), a Springsteen 'The River' t-shirt, and a finale featuring an on-the-nose Cat Stevens' "Oh Very Young". One blink and you'll miss it one-liner occurs when Stephen tells his wife, "You look like the Queen". Gray cinema murder mystery is definitely having a moment thanks to "Only Murders in the Building", the "Matlock" reboot, and the recently announced reboot of "Murder She Wrote." It's interesting to note that Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Geoff Bell were all key players in the recent "MobLand", a much darker limited series. I'm sure Dame Helen Mirren is enjoying the resurgence ... just don't call her "feisty".

Opens on Netflix beginning August 28, 2025.

Rating: 6/10

Summary: The Thursday Murder Club feels like a cosy mystery built for an older audience, packed with Oscar-winning talent but light on real intrigue. More about charm, quips, and the eccentricity of its cast than the murder mystery it sets up, it works better as a gentle comedy about retirement-home sleuths than a serious whodunit. If you go in expecting a soft, inoffensive ride - something your parents or grandparents would happily enjoy - it lands well enough. If you expect something sharp or tightly plotted, it falls short.

Full Review: I found this one quite jarring at first, coming straight off Mobland and suddenly seeing Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren sharing the screen again, especially with Geoff Bell appearing briefly too. It took me a while to adjust.

The Thursday Murder Club is an odd film to place. Right away, I'd say it's a movie I think my dad - who's nearly 80 - would love. That's not a criticism so much as a reflection of who this film is really for. And honestly, that's fine, because it doesn't pretend otherwise.

What's curious is the weight of the cast: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Tom Ellis, Jonathan Pryce, and David Tennant - directed by Chris Columbus, no less. With names like that, you'd expect something sharper, maybe even prestige-level. Instead, it plays like a cosy Sunday evening watch, designed to be as inoffensive as possible.

The story itself is a little muddled. It starts with a cold case, then shifts to a current murder, bouncing between the two while trying to juggle smaller character beats. Some of those beats - like Tom Ellis's subplot - feel unnecessary, padding out the runtime without adding much. There are fun gimmicks and jokes sprinkled throughout, but a lot of them feel more like sitcom humour than anything driving the mystery forward.

Tonally, it's closer to Only Murders in the Building than something like Knives Out. It even nods in that direction with a podcast joke that feels like a direct wink. But where Only Murders manages to keep its core mystery engaging across seasons, this film never fully commits to its own. You don't need to think too hard, and when it does try to redirect suspicion, it feels forced rather than clever.

What works best is the atmosphere. The retirement community setting is almost utopic, with its castle-like flats and eccentric residents. When the film leans into that vibe - older characters navigating friendship, mischief, and meddling in police work - it's genuinely fun. The murder plot, oddly enough, feels like the least interesting part.

In terms of performances, Mirren is the anchor, Brosnan gets a bit more to do through Ellis's character and family ties, Kingsley is barely used, and Imrie pops up enough to leave an impression. Tennant is reliably entertaining whenever he appears. No one is phoning it in, but they're also not given much to sink their teeth into.

For me, it ended up being more enjoyable as a vibe than a story. It's not really a murder mystery in the classic sense; it's a light comedy with a mystery tacked on. And as that, it succeeds - it's exactly the kind of film that parents or grandparents will love, the kind that goes down easily on a quiet night in. But for anyone expecting something sharp or layered, it's just okay.

The book got me out of a reading slump because I loved it so much and is so well written, so obviously I was very excited for this film. Before cast had been announced I had thought Helen mirren and Ben Kingsley would be great in this. So I ended up feeling a little disappointed by film overall.

As others have said, the ending felt rushed, missing out parts of the book that would have given you as a viewer the satisfaction of finding out the reasons of why someone had done something.

It is a typical case of the book is better than the film and I imagine if you haven't read the book then the film is great.

Enjoyable, but this film leaves too little time to get to know the characters. A series with one season per book would have been fabulous. I am in doubt whether Pierce Brosnan was a good casting for Ron, but Mirren, Kingsley and Imrie were spot on. The result is watchable, but I highly recommend you to read the books, they are splendid.

Excellent cast. The film starts off perfectly, and I immediately recognized the atmosphere of the book (The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman). The question I'd had ever since I heard this first novel would be adapted-"But can they really fit all that action into two hours? Because cutting out anything would chip away at the magic..."-was still buzzing in my head, though more faintly now, sulking in a corner.

But slowly, as the story speeds up and large chunks of the plot vanish, and even a character is completely changed for the worse (leaving me wondering: how will the next adaptations look without him?), that buzzing returns triumphantly. The ending leaves a sensation similar to the one where the ground is ripped out from under your feet, leaving you breathless for a moment and with the question: was that all?

This tale deserved to be told as a faithful miniseries; as a film, it feels like a missed opportunity, despite a cast that truly deserved.