Crooked house

"Crooked house".

Watched English movie "Crooked house". 

This movie is directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. Screenplay by Julian Fellowes; Tim Rose Price; Gilles Paquet-Brenner. Produced by James Spring, Sally Wood, Joseph Abrams. It stars Glenn Close, Terrance Stamp, Max Irons, Stephanie Martini, Julien Sands, Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks, Honor Kneafsey. Music by Hugo de Chaire. Cinematography by Sebastian Winterø. Film runs for about 1 hour and 50 minutes and was released in 2017. I watched it with Aditi on 16th Dec 2021 on Netflix.

This movie is based on Agatha Christie's novel by same name. The story is set in 1956, old England. 

Charles Heyward, a private detective, is hired by his ex girl friend to investigate suspected murder of her grandfather. Grandfather was a Greek immigrant who became a successful businessman. Everyone hated the old man for his controlling and manipulative nature. Everyone has a motive and opportunity. Any one can be the killer. It's a typical Agatha Christie story. A big house, number of family members with their own secrets. A young trophy wife.

If I remember correctly, the novel is more clinical, more mathematical. The movie is darker. Although there are a few changes to the story (like trophy wife being a Vegas dancer, story set in 1950s etc), the movie remains mostly true to the novel. 

Stefanie Martini looks beautiful, acts well but the character doesn't flourish as much as I expected. Max Irons looks ruggedly handsome. But the real star of the movie is Glenn Close. She looks aristocratic, caring and strict at the same time. Ideal choice for the character.

The biggest draw of the novel was the shocking revelation of the murderer. Biggest disappointment of the novel was the un-dramatic revelation. This movie retains the strong points of novel and attempts to rectify the disappointment. They are partially successful. 

Recommend watching.