In a world where every other Christie book has been filmed, remade, re-written, updated, altered, and filmed again, why is this the first filmed adaptation of Crooked House? It's because it's not the usual Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick story. No eccentric but beloved detective will appear. Thus it's tricky to write and market to both Christie fans, and to audiences that like dramas and thrillers, which is what Crooked House really is. The script is by Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame, and the production is sumptuous and authentic, Ironically, it would be better if it had a lower budget, as they would have had to tighten it up. The same observation applies to the cast, which is almost too star-studded. Individual performances are good (the exception being dull Max Irons), but taken together, instead of coming across as members of a family, they sometimes appear to be actors having a Big Moment at an audition. This includes Glenn Close, whom I love, but come on, tone it down. On the other hand, the character of the murderer has been toned down, which is a bit disappointing, but inevitable. It would make the murderer too easy to spot, which might not have been the case in 1949 when the book was published. [There's a clue! -- or is it? ;) ]
Review of Crooked House
