The novels by Richard Osman about a group of seniors who solve murders from their comfortable retirement home are congenial delights that expertly blend the cozy and the creepy. The “Thursday Murder Club” books work because each of the characters has a set of skills and some charming quirks to accompany them.
What makes “The Thursday Murder Club,” an adaptation of the first book in the series, click is the casting. Helen Mirren is Elizabeth, whose polite bearing only just hides the spine of steel she developed as an M15 agent during the Cold War. Pierce Brosnan is Ron, a former union head who’s no longer as rough and ready as he fancies himself. Ben Kingsley is Ibrahim, a psychiatrist who brightens with serene satisfaction every time he parses a solution from a clue. And Celia Imrie is Joyce, a new arrival at Cooper’s Chase, the retirement residence where Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim have been meeting once a week to take up real-life cold cases and try to puzzle them out.
The movie’s grabber of an opening lays out one such case, a dual disappearance. But soon the foursome — Joyce’s invitation to join follows the revelation that she’s a former nurse — have to deal with some close-to-home homicides. The victims include an avaricious real estate speculator hoping to make a killing on Cooper’s Chase, which throws some suspicion on the seniors themselves.
Aiding their investigations is an underappreciated policewoman appealingly played by Naomi Ackie. The proceedings are marshaled with affection by the director Chris Columbus (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Home Alone”). Columbus bathes the sets in golden light, which can grate a bit, but otherwise he’s on point.
The Thursday Murder Club
Rated PG-13 for senior citizen, or rather adult, themes. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
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