Summary
A warm, witty, and star-studded cosy crime caper that charms more than it chills — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s hard to find a cosier UK crime series than Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, now five books and counting. Until, that is, Chris Columbus comes along with this adaptation—featuring a stacked who’s who of British cinema and enough cups of tea to flood the Thames.
Opening in flashback, Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote’s screenplay wastes little time introducing the core quartet of amateur sleuths. At the posh Cooper’s Chase retirement village, Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan), Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie) and Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley) spend their spare time solving cold cases. Yet when an argument between estate owners Tony Curran (Geoff Bell) and Ian Ventham (David Tennant) turns deadly, the group suddenly has a live case on their hands.
True to the rhythms of cosy crime, the first murder doesn’t arrive until a leisurely half-hour in, giving the cast time to simply enjoy themselves while sketching out character dynamics. It doesn’t take long, of course, with veterans of this calibre.
As expected, the performances are a delight. Brosnan leans into the fun of playing a dishevelled codger in select scenes, while Tennant clearly relishes being an utter twat. The film piles on needle drops, keeps the tension light, and plays for fun rather than thrills.
Like the source material, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB falters in the final act, rushing to tie up threads while laying new track for the franchise. (The ending has always felt needlessly sour on the page, making the leads harder than they should be). On screen, though, the sting is softened considerably thanks to scene-stealing turns from Richard E. Grant and Jonathan Pryce.
Netflix has a ready-made franchise on its hands here. Osman has already drawn the map. The question is whether this sprawling cast can be wrangled for the sequels. Because if there’s one thing cosy crime has taught us, it’s that quaint little villages are positively lethal.
2025 | USA | DIRECTOR: Chris Columbus | WRITERS: Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote (Based on the book by Richard Osman) | CAST: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Noami Ackie, Daniel Mays, David Tennant | DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix | RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 28 August 2025