The Thursday Murder Club (review)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 1 September 2025

CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie lead the star-studded ensemble cast in this film adaptation of the first instalment in Richard Osman’s best-selling cosy crime novels.

Four septuagenarians living in the luxurious Coopers Chase retirement village investigate cold cases until a live incident lands on their doorstep when the lavish estate’s owners are murdered.

First of all, it is worth noting that the original book is a 10/10 and the film did a good job in securing some perfect casting choices to honour the characters by really embodying their spirit and personality.

However, as is with most film adaptations of books, elements of the story are cut due to time restraints. Unfortunately, this film sacrificed some of the best parts of the novel, such as Bernard and the bench as well as the historic backstory surrounding Father Mackie. Furthermore, Bogdan is villainised despite his morally-compromised good guy role in the book series.

It is undeniable that the plot works better as a book than a film as there is heavier reliance on the characters and the setting, which sees the murder mystery itself fall a little flat when translated to the screen.

Like with the book, the film takes a heartwarming and delicate approach to portraying the elderly by showing both their competence and humour as well as the struggles and insecurities faced as a result of ageing, with a particular focus on Penny’s illness and Stephen’s dementia.

The film also inhabits a great sense of British culture, with some light humour such as Ron doing water aerobics and Ibrahim being overtaken by a learner driver.

Despite the lack of excitement and some omissions from the book, the film is still a nice ode to one of the greatest book series of the 21st century and the sequels deserve to be adapted in the same vein.

7/10