Director: Michael Keillor Screenplay: Ben Richards (based on the novels by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)) Certainly we can't judge the source material based on what we see here, except for the basic set up. It's clear that a lot more care and skill has been applied to something because the 'Rowling' name is attached. It's a new/another 'shamus' set up and it has very high qualities in many departments, including music choices and tone/atmosphere. I almost didn't survive the 'meet/cute' introductory scenes. Tom Burke (The Musketeers - Athos) plays an injured war veteran-turned-private eye. Because of the scar, I thought of him as the British Stacy Keach. He's got a good air about him and the character has Holliday Grainger - (the British Alicia Witt) plays his neophyte 'Watson'-in-training. As an actor she's not at all incompetent, but there's a point when being a baby faced starlet makes playing a 'normal' person a distraction. The 'mystery' is formulaic, but (if you can't do it different, do it better) the decent script, the developing character relationships make it harmless fun for those who like this kind of mystery.
Review of C.B. Strike
