Despite enjoying Richard Osman’s novel and looking forward to seeing the story on screen, the Netflix adaptation of ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ unfortunately let me down. Of course, I understand that to fit an entire novel into a 2-hour film there must be sacrifices, but the storylines that were cut from the movie were, for me, the ones which added the most tension in the book.
Why did they cut out Father Mackie’s storyline? I admit that the main plot worked without it, however in the book it added huge tension and mystery, causing doubt within the reader (Which – hello! You want in a murder mystery!!). Without this, the film felt too choppy and even boring in some parts. Now, you may think “You read the book, so knowing what happens will take away the tension”. Well, I watched with my brother and dad, neither of whom have read the book, and they too found the film lacked suspense.
I think the main thing which saved the film were the comedic elements, and the casting was fairly spot on (although I did envision Joyce to be a plump old woman with a sweet face). Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan delivered perfect performances for their characters, and I’ll be intrigued to see if they decide to continue the series with ‘The Man Who Died Twice’. If they do, I just hope that they keep the elements that add to the tension of the plot.
