"Crooked House"

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Agatha Christie was and still is considered on of the greatest murder mystery writers to ever live with her thrilling and shocking novels that have inspired many films. Her life even having one of the biggest mysteries of all when after her husband asked for a divorce to be with his lover, her car was found on December 3, 1926 abandoned with no trace of her. The police desperately searched and a reward was offered all the while her husband being under the police's watchful eye. When she was finally found on December 14, 1926 at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel (now Old Swan Hotel), she acted oblivious to what was going on and had given the surname of her husband's lover when she checked in. To this day, no one knows if she had snapped and was amnesiac or had she taken a page out of her own writings in order to make her husband pay and to not be seen by society as "the jilted wife". Now her work has been brought to life yet again in one of the most famous tales, "Crooked House"

Charles Hayward (Max Irons) is a former spy turned detective who is brought in to investigate the death of wealthy tycoon Aristide Leonides by his eldest granddaughter and Charles's former lover Sophia Leonides (Stefanie Martini). Investigating at the Leonides's manor, he meets the extended family, Edith de Haviland (Glenn Close) Aristide's first wife's sister who has watched over their children and the grandchildren since her sister's death, the two sons Philip and Roger (Julian Sands and Christian McKay) their wives Magda and Clemency (Gillian Anderson and Amanda Abbington), Sophia's brother and sister Eustace and Josephine (Preston Nyman and Honor Kneafsey) Aristide's young former Las Vegas dancer turned wife Brenda (Christina Hendricks) and the two staff members tutor Laurence Brown (John Heffernan) and Josephine's nanny (Jenny Galloway). As Charles interviews each person of the house, he finds that each of them had a love-hate relationship with the patriarch for his controlling nature and that they all had their motives for wanting him gone. Yet with incidents occurring such as Josephine falling or family members making accusations for failing businesses or a lack of funding for screenplays, it becomes clear the answer will not come swiftly and with the sudden death of Nanny, Charles must find the murderer before he or she can strike again.

While there were changes from the book to screen, the work of Agatha Christie is projected perfectly aiming to please any mystery suspense fan. While some may find it hard to keep the characters straight and the lighting kept dark giving it an air of mystery and darkness yet making it hard to see at times played well for the story. All leading up to a climax that will leave you shocked. A four and a half G.M.Star winner in my book and it will be no mystery that film lovers will enjoy this film as well.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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