Crooked House (2017)

Crooked House (2017) Millionaire Aristide Leonides has been murdered, and Detective Charles Hayward must lead an investigation to find his killer. For me, this is a very good film… even though it’s considered a TV film! It’s British and directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. You can’t say that I know Agatha Christie, because I’ve only seen the films based on her stories; I’ve never read her directly. In this, apparently the writer’s most twisted tale, the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a wealthy patriarch are investigated by spy-turned-private detective Charles Hayward (Max Irons), who is lured by his former lover to catch his grandfather’s killer before Scotland Yard uncovers dark family secrets.

On the vast estate, in a poisonous atmosphere of bitterness, resentment, and jealousy, in a truly twisted house, Hayward meets three generations of the dynasty, including a stage actress (Gillian Anderson), the old man’s widow 50 years his junior (Christina Hendricks), and the family matriarch, Lady Edith de Haviland (Glenn Close), all of whom are excellent in their roles, as are Stefanie Martini and the rather impressive young Honor Kneafsey. On the men’s side, it’s Max Irons who has quite a bit of charisma. I’m always happy to see Terence Stamp again. Julian Sands is there too… but all these characters are a reminder that very few of them are really explored. Some may seem amusing, but they’re insignificant. It’s not the biggest role in most people’s lives. There wasn’t necessarily a need for more, but what’s a real shame is that there isn’t a thrilling suspense in which I absolutely wanted to know the outcome of the plot. I didn’t really care who did what and who was really guilty. You always suspect everyone in this kind of film, you sympathize with the characters at one point or another, but you’re always on your guard.

Clearly, this film is not an excellent masterpiece. But let’s not exaggerate! This very British film relies on this very fine cast. I know that some people hated the film, finding its tone annoying, overplayed, and overdone, where the police mystery is overshadowed by a gallery of characters, each more irritating than the last. If, on top of that, they found that we’d added a lead actor totally devoid of charisma who was up against secondary characters played by great actors, they thought they’d been treated to a film that was totally unbalanced, pretentious, and lacking in stakes. I agree with them that we don’t really care who committed the murder in the end, which is the last straw for a crime film based on an Agatha Christie novel…

So… stay away if you’re not used to this kind of insipid feature film. But as far as I’m concerned, I think this kind of crime thriller is all too rare these days, but it’s still a real pleasure to watch. A little marvel! A sort of in-camera thriller as we like them, with sumptuous, magnificent settings (perhaps a little too modern at times), a breathtaking house, and characters who are as unsympathetic and mysterious as you could wish for. Everything you need to get hooked! The plot is solid. An Agatha Christie novel that holds up well and is certainly a successful adaptation of the novel, with an atmosphere that is very well rendered, according to some reviews. Here’s one: “What I love about Agatha Christie’s novels is that beneath the elegance there’s always a dark secret. I read The Crooked House many years ago and loved this adaptation. The scenes are beautifully set in the family manor house and in 1950s London. The casting from Glenn Close as the family matriarch to Max Irons who does an excellent job as the young detective is excellent. The film manages to make each character their own mystery, which adds to the suspense as you try to work out who the murderer is. The style is both typical of Christie and reminiscent of film noir with a touch of Downton Abbey…”

Thanks to this review for rounding me off. Of course, if you’re expecting something like Murder on the Orient Express with Hercule Poirot, you’re likely to be disappointed. The choice is yours!