The Thursday Murder Club series, started in 2020 by author Richard Osman, could arguably be considered a “cozy mystery”—it is set in a retirement home with a loveable set of amateur detectives—but don’t be fooled.
Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), and Joyce (Celia Imrie) may never have been real investigators, but by the time we meet them, they’re well-versed in solving crimes.
While investigating the cold case of Angela (stabbed and thrown from a window) and Peter (her boyfriend, gone missing shortly after the murder), the club learns that their home is under threat by Ian (David Tennant), who wants to bulldoze the property for his own use.
His former business partner Tony (Geoff Bell) resists and is soon murdered outside his home. Ian becomes the prime suspect, but is then poisoned to death himself at a protest rally.
The group is aided by actual police officer Donna (Naomi Ackie) and checks in regularly with former member Penny, who actually was a detective, but now lies in hospice, cared for by her husband, John (Paul Freeman).
Joyce’s daughter Joanna (Ingrid Oliver) and Ron’s son Jason (Tom Ellis) are also brought into the mix. The latter is briefly considered a suspect, connected a handful of shady characters tied to the various murders.
The investigations into all of this are occasionally awkward and messy, such as taking on various cover stories to hoodwink cops into providing confidential information, and occasionally at the level of professionals. Each member of the Thursday Murder Club brings different skills to the table, developed over decades in their respective careers, and each has honed their crime-solving ability over an unknown number of previously solved cases.
For many, especially those who haven’t read the book series, the main appeal of this film is seeing so many acclaimed actors working so well together.
The four main cast members each ensure that their individual characters are well-developed and intriguing individuals while also working as an effective unit. It helps that, unlike in many such stories, we meet this club fully formed and running smoothly despite its recent shake-up in membership.
The pacing of the story is the only real hit-or-miss aspect. Though it cuts a 400-page novel to 2 hours of screen time and packs a lot of plot into that frame, there are still moments that a bit meandering. The film also has a limited theatrical release, and while the most avid fans may well appreciate paying for the experience, it definitely feels more suited to the small screen.
The accessibility of streaming through Netflix is also more appealing here because this is definitely the kind of movie you may want to immediately re-watch, even if there are a few skippable scenes.
This is both to catch fun references to things like previous works of the main cast and to catch the little clues you might miss the first time around that tie the cases together and eventually point to the true and often unexpected culprits at the center of each one.
Tony’s death comes as a delayed consequence of his own past deeds and at the hands of an associate named Bogden (Henry Lloyd-Hughes).
Ian’s poisoning is also not what it first seems and recalls the original cold case. Penny, believing Peter guilty of Angela’s murder, killed him and disposed of his body. When Ian’s development plans threaten to expose this, John kills him to protect his wife’s secret.
This final development also means that we’re left with a rather sobering ending. John kills both himself and Penny in a move that he appears to forewarn the entire club of. They willingly depart for him to follow through, pausing only for Elizabeth, who was closest to Penny, to say goodbye to them both. It’s a deeply understandable act but also leaves us pondering the complex morals at hand.
Overall, though, The Thursday Murder Club is about as much fun as you can have with a body count that reaches half a dozen people by the closing scenes. It doesn’t bring anything wildly different to this popular genre, but it’s well written and widely enjoyable, featuring humor and heart that appeals to all ages while still being unflinchingly dark as needed.
While nothing is yet confirmed, the additional three available and one upcoming books in Osman’s series give us the possibility of more movies, and the interest from both cast and crew means it’s very likely they’ll make it to production.
These potential sequels may be less likely to score a place on big screens, the success here means a large audience of mystery lovers will be waiting to see what Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim, and Joyce get up to next—even if many readers already know the answer to each big “whodunnit.”
The Thursday Murder Club is currently streaming on Netflix.
