Words Aaron Potter

When the Hollywood director due to take a hit West End play from stage to screen is found dead, plans for the adaptation are abandoned and London’s finest are called to the grisly crime scene in a classic murder mystery where everyone’s a suspect and potential victim.

But don’t be fooled by this seemingly gory premise, the big-screen debut from This Country director Tom George – swapping 21st Century Gloucestershire for 1950s London – promises to be just as much a tongue-in-cheek comedy as a whodunnit with teeth; balancing these tones expertly with thanks to a who’s who of onscreen royalty.

Sam Rockwell leads the charge as the honest but jaded Inspector Stoppard and is joined in his pursuit by the all-too-eager Constable Stalker, played by Saoirse Ronan, who fully taps into her comedic side as the fresh-faced and fallible rookie. Rounding out the ensemble are Adrien Brody, Reece Shearsmith, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo, Harris Dickinson, Charlie Cooper, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Pearl Chanda, Sian Clifford, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd – all of whom possess a possible motive as the mystery unravels.

In a world where Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is chewing up scenery with his southern drawl, Sam Rockwell’s Inspector Stoppard steps in to prove he’s not the only debonair detective who can solve a case while having lots of fun.

Live & Kicking

Knives Out

Rian Johnson’s whodunnit gives the genre a modern shot in the arm with its sensibility, shocking secrets, and a star-studded cast. It’s CSI: KFC in the best way!

Spiral: From The Book Of Saw

Chris Rock restarts cinema’s deadliest game with a murderous mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. The comedian’s serious turn as Detective Zeke Banks definitely engages, especially when opposite Samuel L. Jackson.

Death On The Nile

Kenneth Branagh’s take on Agatha Christie’s legendary Hercule Poirot returns in a sleuth-centric sequel that sees a slew of A-listers stranded on the Nile. Not quite as enthralling as the Orient Express, but a worthy trip for the moustache origin story alone.