Category: Crime

The Thursday Murder Club

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  1 hr  58min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Chris Columbus

Starring:  Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie.

We’re The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club starts out in black and white, flashing back to a late Full Moon lit foggy night in London. We hear Helen Mirren narrate the events as we them. There is a scream, then a woman falls out a window with a knife in her chest. A masked man runs….and we fade to color and see a cork bulletin board with details of the case and three people standing in front of it discussing the murder…..

Helen Mirren stars as Elizabeth Best, a retired pensioner residing in the upscale Cooper’s Chase Retirement Village outside the seaside Village of Fairhaven in Kent, United Kingdom. She lives there with her husband Steven who is battling the onset of dementia. It is Thursday and she is in the jigsaw puzzle room with Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan), a former Trade Union Official, and Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley), a retired Psychiatrist. They are discussing a murder cold case from the 1973 they are attempting to solve. They have drawn out the details of the case on a display board and are discussing the details trying to find something perhaps the police missed when…….

Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie) and her daughter walk into the room. She apologizes for seemingly interrupting but wonders if this isn’t the Puzzle room, to which Elizabeth replies, “It is except on Thursdays, Thursdays it is The Thursday Murder Club.” Joyce replies, “Oh, ok” and the two move on exploring the retirement Village. Elizabeth notices that Joyce barely flinched at the site of the murder photo and deduces that she must be someone used to seeing such things, such as a trauma nurse. Convinced that Joyce might be able to help them with their case, the three head to find Joyce. They catch up with her and Joyce confirms that Elizabeth is right, she is a retired Hospital trauma nurse. Elizabeth asks her to help with the case and she readily agrees.

As the four amateur sleuths get acquainted over cake they get further involved in trying to crack the cold case. As they are out walking the grounds they overhear Tony Curran and Ian Ventham, the two co-owners of The Retirement Village,  arguing heatedly. The next day Tony Curran is found murdered, bludgeoned to death in his home. Sensing that the rift between Tony and Ian may have resulted in Tony’s death, The Thursday Murder Club see an opportunity to really put their skills to the test in a real life homicide that involves the future of their retirement home.

And that’s where the real antics begin, chasing down clues, involving and manipulating the local police department, and anyone else they think can help them crack their case. They all put their individual skills to work, Ron helps organize a protest as Ian tries to break ground on new construction, Abrahim constantly makes note and deciphers clues and information using his psychiatrist background to see beyond the obvious, Elizabeth pulls on her MI5 background to really kick things in gear, and Joyce brings common sense and cake at every turn.

It is a comedic, light- hearted whodunit with thrills and mystery at every turn, based on a group of amateur sleuths at a posh retirement home. There is mystery, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns, and action as The Thursday Murder Club work their game. Honestly I don’t know how you could go wrong with these three; Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsly. It was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it, a good bit of fun ole’ chap!  You know what I think, I think you should…….

Make some popcorn,

Grab a beverage,

and Stream This Movie

On Netflix!

The Thursday Murder Club

was based on The 2020 Novel

by Richard Osman.

Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’

Sir Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’
Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Celia Imrie in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’

The Thursday Murder Club Coming To Netflix Thursday August 28, 2025

Juror #2

2024   Warner Brothers Pictures

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  1  hr 54min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Legal Thriller

Directed by:  Clint Eastwood

Starring:  Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Francesca Eastwood and Kiefer Sutherland.

Justice Is Blind, Guilt Sees Everything.

Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a journalist and recovering alcoholic in Savannah, Georgia, who is called to serve jury duty during a high-profile murder trial. As Kemp listens to the prosecution’s case, a young man accused of killing his girlfriend after a public altercation, he soon discovers unsettling parallels between his own actions on the night of the crime and the evidence presented in court. The prosecutor, Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette), sees the case as an opportunity to further her campaign for district attorney, while Kemp’s personal struggles add mounting tension to his role as a juror.

As the trial unfolds, Kemp realizes that he may have unwittingly contributed to the victim’s death on the same night of the incident, igniting a powerful moral conflict. Desperate for guidance, he seeks advice from his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and weighs whether to sway the jury’s verdict in light of his possible involvement. Within the jury room, debates intensify as forensic evidence and conflicting eyewitness testimony cast doubt on the defendant’s guilt, while Kemp must grapple with emotions of guilt and responsibility without exposing his secret.

Kemp’s inner turmoil challenges him to confront issues of justice, personal accountability, and family loyalty as cracks begin to show in the prosecution’s narrative. Pressures from the courtroom and worries about his wife’s difficult pregnancy further complicate his moral choices, pushing him toward a decision that might change the outcome of the trial and his own life forever. The narrative artfully explores themes of truth and redemption, keeping the resolution tightly guarded as Kemp’s fate, and the real story behind the crime, hangs in the balance.

I honestly can’t say much more about this movie without giving anything away. And I think it is best viewed that way. I am going to write a separate review/story about the movie and do a deep dive into the story, the plot, the dilemma and the ending complete with a SPOILER ALERT WARNING. Did I like the movie? Would I recommend it? Would I watch it again? The answer to all those questions is an absolute yes. Clint Eastwood did a great job with this movie that sucks you in deeper than quicksand at every turn. As did Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Francesca Eastwood and Kiefer Sutherland. It is a different take on the Legal Thriller and the jury process, well worth a watch.

Give it a go and let me know what you think………….

Night Always Comes

2025   Netflix

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  48min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Benjamin Caron

Starring:  Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephen James, Randall Park, Julia Fox, Michael Kelly, and Eli Roth.

$25,000….1 Night….No Other Options

THE BOOK:

The Night Always Comes: A Novel by Willy Vlautin  – April 6, 2021

SYNOPSIS:

Barely thirty, Lynette is exhausted. Saddled with bad credit and juggling multiple jobs, some illegally, she’s been diligently working to buy the house she lives in with her mother and developmentally disabled brother Kenny. Portland’s housing prices have nearly quadrupled in fifteen years, and the owner is giving them a good deal. Lynette knows it’s their last best chance to own their own home—and obtain the security they’ve never had. While she has enough for the down payment, she needs her mother to cover the rest of the asking price. But a week before they’re set to sign the loan papers, her mother gets cold feet and reneges on her promise, pushing Lynette to her limits to find the money they need.

Set over two days and two nights, The Night Always Comes follows Lynette’s frantic search—an odyssey of hope and anguish that will bring her face to face with greedy rich men and ambitious hustlers, those benefiting and those left behind by a city in the throes of a transformative boom. As her desperation builds and her pleas for help go unanswered, Lynette makes a dangerous choice that sets her on a precarious, frenzied spiral. In trying to save her family’s future, she is plunged into the darkness of her past, and forced to confront the reality of her life.

A heart wrenching portrait of a woman hungry for security and a home in a rapidly changing city, The Night Always Comes raises the difficult questions we are often too afraid to ask ourselves: What is the price of gentrification, and how far are we really prepared to go to achieve the American Dream? Is the American dream even attainable for those living at the edges? Or for too many of us, is it only a hollow promise?

THE MOVIE:

FROM NETFLIX:

Night Always Comes follows Lynette (Vanessa Kirby), a woman who risks everything to secure the house that represents a future for her family. Lynette, who rises each morning before sunrise to juggle multiple jobs, which are not all on the level, while also caring for her mother Doreen and older brother Kenny. Lynette has been hardened by her hardscrabble life; her bedroom houses the washer-dryer, an oil furnace and a utility sink. There’s little or no money for new clothes or for treats. Lynette has gone without so she can save cash to purchase the ramshackle home her family has rented for decades in an area where the ‘G’ word,  gentrification, has left a bitter taste; the working classes are being pushed outta town. A plan had been in place to raise a mortgage on the property, but when that’s derailed she’s forced to undertake a desperate odyssey in a city of greed. Lynette has to confront dangerous people who owe her money. On a dangerous odyssey through a single night, Lynette is forced to confront her dark past in order to finally break free.

Night Always Comes is based on the May 17, 2022 Novel by Willy Vlautin. According to Producer Benjamin Caron (From Netflix Tudum):

“The emotional core of the book was my compass, but there’s a heightened sense of immediacy and propulsion to cinema where the audience feels every blow and every betrayal and every hope. The adaptation became even more of a character-driven thriller with Lynette at the center of every frame. I also opened up the book by having Portland itself become a character in the movie, the contrast between the city’s foreclosed buildings and the gentrified neighborhoods reflecting Lynette’s personal crisis.” 

“Lynette is driven by a desperate need for security, for the idea of home as much as, I guess, the reality of it. Yet she is haunted by the fear that she doesn’t deserve it. Her journey is a study in propulsion. Each decision, no matter how reckless, is an attempt to outrun her past and carve out a future.” 

“Vanessa brings a beautifully wild energy to Lynette, making the character unpredictable and deeply, deeply human. Together, we worked on creating a character who is simply not just reacting to the world, but desperately trying to wrest control of her future, even as she teeters on the edge of self-destruction,” says Caron, who believes Kirby’s contributions as a producer were also invaluable. “Vanessa was creatively involved from the ground up, which was brilliant. To have someone that was both an actor and producer was incredibly exciting to me.” 

THE REVIEW:

Night Always Comes is an electrifying urban thriller that hooked me from the opening scene and never let go. Adapted from Willy Vlautin’s novel, the film plunges viewers into a high-stakes, emotionally raw quest as Lynette (Vanessa Kirby) races against the clock to secure her family’s future in a rapidly gentrifying Portland. What I loved about this movie was its tense, ticking-clock atmosphere and urgent pacing; every frame brims with suspense and desperation as Lynette scrambles overnight to raise $25,000, making tough choices and confronting her past. The story beautifully balances grit and empathy, adding layers to its social commentary about housing insecurity and class struggles.

The cast is simply phenomenal. Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers a quietly devastating turn as Lynette’s unreliable mother, Doreen, showing a complexity that deepens every family scene. Zack Gottsagen is moving as Kenny, Lynette’s brother, whose innocence amplifies the stakes and heartbreak, and together, their performances ground the story in vulnerability and hope. But the reason I was truly captivated is Vanessa Kirby. She dominates the screen and brings such emotional urgency, versatility, and empathy to Lynette that I couldn’t look away. Kirby channels every stage of desperation, pain, and resolve with a haunting depth; she’s the beating heart of the film, making every moment memorable. The chemistry among these three, especially Kirby’s dynamic with Gottsagen and Leigh, represents the best of ensemble acting, elevating a tense genre drama into a resonant journey about family and survival.

It is a deep dark social commentary centered on one woman’s struggle to survive and rise above. It is not pretty, it is not a Hallmark movie, It is realism, sadness and desperation at it’s raw core and yet it is the triumph of survival and the eternal hope of a better life.

ANOTHER GREAT VANESSA KIRBY MOVIE I RECOMMEND:

Napoleon

The Comeback Trail

2020   Cloudburst Entertainment

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  44min

Crime ~ Comedy

Directed by:  George Gallo

Starring:  Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, Zach Braff, and Emile Hirsch.

Hollywood has never pulled a stunt like this.

The Comeback Trail was filmed in 2019 but because of The Covid-19 Pandemic, which also drove the initial distributor out of business, and the subsequent lawsuits over distribution, the release was delayed until February 25, 2025 and is currently on a number of streaming services including Hulu, Amazon Prime and Paramount+.

Let’s not beat around the bush—the trailer for “The Comeback Trail” promises more laughs than the movie actually delivers, except for the scene where the horse kicks Robert De Niro. I literally busted out laughing, it was completely obvious it was going to happen and so stupid, it was funny. You’d think with legends like Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman sharing top billing though, we’d have an instant classic with star-studded comic hijinks blazing across the screen. Instead, what we get is a worn retread of old Hollywood satire, a little too safe, not nearly dark enough, and just sort of… familiar.

If you’re expecting De Niro in full-on comedic genius mode—think Midnight Run or Analyze This—you’ll get flashes of it here, but mostly he’s dialing up the chaos as Max Barber, a washed-up producer who decides his only way out of mob debt is to “accidentally” kill his faded cowboy star, Duke Montana (Jones), to cash in on insurance. Forget twisty plotlines; the story is as predictable as you’re guessing right now, but with fewer laughs than you’d hope for.

The cast puts in the work. Jones, especially, walks off with the movie’s soul, playing Duke with a mix of melancholy and earnestness rarely seen in broad comedies. His suicidal cowboy could have been a running gag, but Jones injects heart and a hint of regret that almost—almost!—makes you care. De Niro is all bluster and wild schemes, burning calories trying to make Max’s desperation land. Freeman, meanwhile, has a few smirk-worthy lines but is largely sidelined.

Visually, the film actually looks decent. There’s an undeniable flair to the cinematography—the grimy, cut-rate movie sets and LA backlots sell the atmosphere. If you muted the sound, you might be tricked into thinking this is a riotous good time. But Bobby’s cardinal rule: it’s not how it LOOKS, it’s how it PLAYS, and here the play is just… average.

Bottom line? This is one of those late night cable comedies you watch on a whim, forget about by morning, and don’t exactly regret. There’s fun to be had—mostly courtesy of Tommy Lee Jones—but with three Oscar winners on deck and a premise ripe for crazy hijinks, it should have swung for the fences instead of bunting. Not awful, not great, just a movie that’s been here for years, reheating leftovers instead of serving up anything new.

The Instigators

2025   Apple TV+

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  41min

Action ~ Crime ~ Comedy

Directed by:  Doug Liman

Starring:  Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.

I need 32,480 dollars, that’s all I need.

The Instigators, directed by Doug Liman and streaming on Apple TV+, tosses viewers into a frenetic Boston backdrop on the eve of a mayoral election. From the jump, it’s clear this isn’t your average heist flick—the film’s opening moments introduce Rory (Matt Damon), a blue-collar dad hoping for a shot at redemption, and Cobby (Casey Affleck), a jittery ex-con who just can’t catch a break. Their plan? Knock off a crooked politician notorious for hiding dirty cash, Mayor Miccelli of Boston (Ron Perlman). Naturally, things go sideways fast, and what was supposed to be a one-and-done job quickly devolves into bedlam across the city’s tangled streets.

As the hunt intensifies, the duo’s fumbled heist drags an unsuspecting therapist (Hong Chau) into the fray. What starts as pure collateral damage evolves into an unlikely alliance as Rory and Cobby try—often with hilarious ineptitude—to outrun crooked city officials, shambling henchmen, and a grizzled detective who always seems half a step behind. Liman injects the chase with big swings of slapstick humor and a sharp edge of Boston grit, letting side characters and local color breathe life into even the most well-trodden genre beats.

Though The Instigators doesn’t break new ground for crime capers, it thrives on the cracked chemistry between Damon and Affleck. Their dynamic—equal parts desperation, bickering, and reluctant camaraderie—drives both the action and the heart of the film. Whether it’s a barely-in-control car chase, a botched backroom deal, or a misadventure involving bewildered bystanders, the movie keeps its foot firmly on the gas, favoring momentum and laughs over intricate plotting.

If you’re searching for a twist-filled noir or a brooding meditation on crime, look elsewhere. The Instigators leans into chaotic fun, championing its misfit characters and letting the city of Boston be as much a character as anyone on screen. This is a heist movie that’s more about the wild ride than the payoff—and for those willing to hop in for the chase, it delivers a thoroughly entertaining journey without ever taking itself too seriously.

Grab a beverage,

Make some popcorn

and Stream this movie

On Apple TV+