On the surface, the meaty and rather charming premise of “The Thursday Murder Club” (2025) promises no-brainer brilliance, walking a path already carved so sharply by “Knives Out.” Based on TV presenter Richard Osman’s 2020 novel of the same name, the film circles around four older sleuths who investigate murder cases for pleasure — except that on their first outing, the stakes are far higher. The framing is simple: these are aged citizens living in a retirement village. Yet the hook is that the narrative never drifts from the crime-comedic mystery it intends to be, treating the social fabric of its characters as matter-of-fact rather than novelty.
In that respect, some of the choices by co-writers Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote are refreshing. Old age is reframed as a space for wit, resilience, and action, not inevitable fragility. The smart casting of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie strengthens that conviction. Humor, tea rituals, gossip, and even the excess of baked cakes become radical acts of solidarity. This is a film of moments and touches, not extended stretches. What it cannot disguise, however, is the dead-as-ditchwater filmmaking of Chris Columbus.
An otherwise competent director of holiday-tinged whimsical cinema, Columbus struggles to bring his signature warmth and lively energy here. The film, while intent on celebrating its older leads, sidelines the younger characters and ignores the ripe contemporary possibilities that demand equal weight. Instead, it becomes suffocated by dialogue and a stubborn reliance on institutional settings, leaving its visuals stiff and airless. What should feel like a brisk, character-driven mystery often resembles an audiobook, coasting along as a serviceable franchise-starter rather than a film in its own right.
The lack of inventiveness is such that the film begins to feel like a bland explanation of itself. Which is why, with some reluctance, here’s my own attempt to explain it to you.
The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
In an upmarket retirement village called Coopers Chase, four older amateur sleuths attempt to play detectives and solve murder cases. Elizabeth, a retired MI6 agent, teams up with Ron, a former union leader, and Ibrahim, a once-renowned psychiatrist. Together, they turn the crossword room into the Thursday Murder Club, meeting every Thursday to pick apart unsolved cases.
What happens in the crossword room?
This time, they face a strange, decades-old incident involving a woman who fell from her window, stabbed just as her husband returned home. Around the same time, a new resident named Joyce arrives. An ex-nurse looking to live independently among people her own age, she soon bonds with the trio. They invite her into their circle, appreciating her medical expertise and sharp observations.
Who visits the retirement village?
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The group originally gained access to investigation papers from Detective Penny, who now lives in the hospice wing of Coopers Chase in a state of decline. Elizabeth herself struggles at home as her husband Stephen battles dementia. One day, a young police officer, Donna De Freitas, visits the retirement village with safety guidelines. The residents dismiss her talk, but when car trouble strands her, she ends up staying for lunch with the Thursday Murder Club. There, she meets Ron’s son Jason, who has come to visit. To Jason’s amusement, Donna admits she is a big fan, an ex-boxer who once appeared on Celebrity MasterChef.
What happens to the contractor?
The residents are also introduced to Tony Curran, the contractor behind Coopers Chase, who runs the development with property mogul Ian Ventham. Despite their partnership, tensions run high: Ventham intends to demolish the retirement village to build luxury flats, an idea fiercely opposed by its older residents. The conflict takes a sharp turn the next morning when Tony Curran is found bludgeoned to death in his home, the murder weapon missing. Joyce hears about it on the radio and rushes to inform the group. Simultaneously, Donna receives the news at the station.
What do Elizabeth and Donna uncover?
The Thursday Murder Club resolves to investigate. With Donna’s help and their own knack for digging, they discover that local crime boss Bobby Tanner secretly has ties to the Coopers Chase project. Adding fuel to the fire, Jason once worked with Tony, making him a suspect. Suspicion soon shifts toward Ian, though he is eventually cleared. However, during a residents’ protest, Ian collapses and dies of a fentanyl overdose, leaving Tanner as the sole owner. Jason is arrested soon after, though the case against him falls apart when it emerges he was only having an affair with Ian’s glamorous wife, Gemma.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth strikes up a careful friendship with Bogdan, a Polish handyman at the village. He later reveals a hidden grave containing the skeleton of Peter Mercer, the man who once witnessed Angela’s suspicious death years earlier. Around this time, Elizabeth begins receiving threatening messages warning her to stop digging.
The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Who is the murderer of Tony Curran?
When Jason provides a solid alibi, the group redirects suspicion toward Tanner. Elizabeth and Donna uncover that he has been trafficking migrants and confiscating their passports. Elizabeth confronts him, cutting a deal: she will stay silent if he agrees not to demolish Coopers Chase. But soon, she realizes the deeper truth—Bogdan himself killed Tony Curran.
What is the truth behind Angela’s death?
In a quiet game of chess with Stephen, Bogdan admits he murdered Tony under pressure, though without intending to. His words are secretly recorded, leading to his arrest. The truth behind Angela’s death is also revealed. Mercer was indeed her killer, but Penny, with her husband John’s assistance, sought justice on her own terms. Together, they killed Mercer and buried his body in secret. Years later, when Ian stumbled upon the grave, John murdered him to protect Penny’s secret. Not long after, both Penny and John pass away in hospice care.
At their funeral, Elizabeth presents Penny’s club necklace to Joyce, officially welcoming her as a full-fledged member of the Thursday Murder Club. Meanwhile, with Coopers Chase once again facing sale, Joyce’s daughter Joanna contemplates purchasing it. Life at the village settles back into a calm rhythm, with friendships renewed and the club ready for the next mystery that might land at their door.
