Just finished the ‘Thursday Murder Club’ movie on Netflix? If you’ve read Richard Osman’s books, you might have noticed a few major departures from the original story! From character arcs to surprising plot twists, the adaptation takes its own path. Did your favorite book moments make the cut, or were you left scratching your head?
The highly anticipated Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling novel, “The Thursday Murder Club,” has finally premiered, bringing its charming ensemble and intricate mystery to a global audience. While the film, directed by Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, captures the essence of the beloved book, it introduces several significant changes that will undoubtedly spark discussion among fans of the original text. These alterations touch upon character portrayals, plot developments, and the overall narrative progression, offering a fresh perspective on the Cooper’s Chase residents’ investigative prowess.
At the heart of the “Thursday Murder Club movie” are its four titular members: Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Joyce, and Ron, portrayed by Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, and Pierce Brosnan, respectively. The film efficiently establishes their unique dynamic and their unexpected foray into solving two local murders at their retirement community, Cooper’s Chase. These initial killings revolve around conflicts over land development, providing the core mystery that the club diligently unravels, despite various red herrings and coincidental occurrences designed to complicate their investigation.
One notable deviation in this Netflix adaptation concerns Jason Ritchie’s storyline. In the book, PC De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson lack sufficient evidence to arrest him. Instead, Jason implores the Thursday Murder Club to locate other individuals from a crucial photograph to assuage his fears of becoming the next victim. Furthermore, his date with Karen Playfair in the novel is driven by his suspicion that she might be involved in Tony Curran’s murder, aiming to facilitate her father’s land sale. The “film changes” this dynamic, presenting a more streamlined approach to his involvement in the central mystery.
Another significant departure from the Richard Osman novel involves the character nicknamed Turkish Johnny. In the original text, this photographer, linked to Jason Ritchie, Bobby Tanner, and Tony Curran, serves as a prominent red herring, deeply entangled in their business dealings. His perceived escape to Cyprus after Tony Curran’s murder is a key plot point for Bobby and Jason in the book. However, the “Thursday Murder Club movie” either downplays his role or omits him entirely, re-centering the narrative on other suspects and their motives, thus altering a crucial aspect of the original mystery thriller’s complexity.
The portrayal of Bobby Tanner, who goes by Derek Ward in the film versus Peter Ward in the book, undergoes a substantial transformation. While he is a business partner of Curran and Ritchie in both versions, the “Netflix adaptation” imbues him with a far more menacing persona. His actions in the film, such as sending a man to threaten Elizabeth in a graveyard and tasking an intruder to leave ominous flowers at her home, amplify his villainy. This stark contrast with his more docile book counterpart significantly heightens the stakes and tension within the cinematic narrative, making him a more formidable antagonist.
Elizabeth’s confrontation with Bobby Tanner also features a key alteration. In the book, Elizabeth is accompanied by Joyce during her visit to Bobby. However, the film depicts Elizabeth making this perilous visit alone, showcasing her singular bravery and strategic mind. In this intense encounter, Bobby, revealed as the third owner of Cooper’s Chase, confesses to a human trafficking scheme with Tony Curran. Elizabeth successfully blackmails him into selling the property to an investor of her choosing, preventing his involvement in the murder case from becoming public. This solo mission underscores Elizabeth’s fierce independence in the “mystery film.”
A charming addition unique to the “Thursday Murder Club movie” is the introduction of gold medallion necklaces with “TCM” stamped across them, symbolizing affiliation with the club. Initially, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron possess these, with Penny being the fourth original member before her incapacitation. Early in the film, Elizabeth recruits Joyce as the fourth member, and following a pivotal, unrevealed twist, Joyce receives her own medallion. These symbolic tokens, absent in the “Richard Osman novel,” add a tangible representation of camaraderie and belonging to the cozy murder mystery genre.
Father Mackie’s role is also considerably trimmed in the film. The novel explores a tangent involving Mackie, who possesses a plausible motive for delaying graveyard development and a tragic backstory linked to the site, ultimately serving as another red herring. The “film changes” his significance, reducing his narrative presence and impact, thereby simplifying one of the book’s many intricate subplots and focusing more intently on the primary murder investigations.
Finally, Bogdan Janowski’s storyline, particularly concerning Stephen, sees a critical modification. Both the book and film feature Bogdan discovering a second skeleton and confessing to Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, that he killed Tony Curran. However, in the book, Stephen, suffering from dementia, quickly forgets this crucial information. The film cleverly introduces a recorder Stephen uses to capture his daily memories, preserving Bogdan’s confession and significantly impacting the ongoing investigation. The book also details Bogdan’s more elaborate revenge on Gianni and Tony for their role in his friend Kazimir’s murder, a depth not fully explored in the “Netflix adaptation.”
