Helen Mirren leads The Thursday Murder Club in cozy mystery

Whoever coined the phrase “Old is Gold” must have had the cast of The Thursday Murder Club in mind. Every actor feels perfectly cast, every character is instantly relatable—and each one somehow ends up tangled in a murder mystery.

With Helen Mirren leading the charge and Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie by her side, any doubts fans may have had about Richard Osman’s novel vanished when the trailer dropped—and the remaining hesitation disappeared when the film was finally released this weekend.

The story

The Thursday Murder Club follows a group of retirees in a quiet English village who meet to solve cold cases. Their backgrounds are what make them extraordinary: Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), a retired spy; Ron (Pierce Brosnan), a trade union firebrand; Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), a former psychiatrist; and Joyce (Celia Imrie), a retired nurse.

Together they stumble onto two mysteries—one unsolved from the past and one unfolding right in their own residence. The question is: will they crack the cases, or will the killers outwit them?

What works

The ensemble cast is the film’s greatest triumph. Richard Osman himself would likely have approved this dream line-up, since each actor fits their role so seamlessly. Casting a former James Bond as a trade unionist is clever enough, but pairing him with Lucifer star Tom Ellis as his son? Inspired. And who better to lead than the “Queen” herself, Helen Mirren, flanked by Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley as the group’s resident shrink.

Individually they shine, but as a team they’re even better—at times evoking the cozy mystery charm of Murder, She Wrote and Miss Marple. The modern-day English setting also adds richness, with its accents, quirks, and postcard-perfect backdrops. Director Chris Columbus proves he still has his touch, even if his last major hit was Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief back in 2010.

What doesn’t work

The novel’s fans may balk at the changes. Osman’s book had more murders, and trimming them down adapts slightly. True, screenwriters Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote had Osman’s blessing, but some purists may still see it as disloyal. Adding elements that weren’t in the novel may keep newcomers guessing, but readers could feel shortchanged.

Verdict

Perfect casting? Check. Gorgeous locations? Check. Murders solved? Check. Columbus has crafted a warm, witty, and crowd-pleasing mystery—one that flips the script by putting older actors front and center while allowing younger ones to play supporting roles. It’s less violent than the novel, but that restraint makes the story breezier, more accessible.

If Dan Brown’s thrillers can be adapted with liberties, so can Osman’s—and with four more Thursday Murder Club mysteries in print, there’s plenty of material left. The only hope? That the filmmakers don’t stumble, as the Knives Out franchise did, with its sequel detour.

For now, if you’re a fan of these legendary actors—or just in the mood for an Agatha Christie-style caper—this film delivers. The retirees may not be taken seriously at first, but the police may linger on the sidelines, and the bodies pile up just the same. And in true cozy-crime fashion, the elders solve the mystery in the end.