Crooked House (2017)

In Agatha Christie's most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather's murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.

Director:

Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Writers:

Julian Fellowes (screenplay), Agatha Christie (novel)

Stars:

Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max Irons	...	Charles Hayward
Stefanie Martini	...	Sophia de Haviland
Glenn Close	...	Lady Edith de Haviland
Honor Kneafsey	...	Josephine Leonides
Christina Hendricks	...	Brenda Leonides
Terence Stamp	...	Chief Inspector Taverner
Julian Sands	...	Philip Leonides
Gillian Anderson	...	Magda Leonides
Christian McKay	...	Roger Leonides
Amanda Abbington	...	Clemency Leonides
Preston Nyman	...	Eustace Leonides
John Heffernan	...	Laurence Brown
Jenny Galloway	...	Nanny
David Kirkbride	...	Glover
Tina Gray	...	Miss Ackroyd

Storyline

In this classic Agatha Christie detective story, former diplomat Charles Hayward has returned from Cairo to London to become a private detective. When Aristide Leonides, a wealthy and ruthless tycoon, is poisoned in his own bed, Detective Hayward is invited to solve the crime. As the investigation deepens he must confront the shocking realization that one of the key suspects is Aristede's beautiful granddaughter, his employer and former lover; and must keep a clear head to navigate the sultry Sophia and the rest of her hostile family.

---

Plot Keywords:

whodunit | murder | private detective | dysfunctional family | patriarch | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some sexual content

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Casa Torta

Filming Locations:

Dyrham Park, Dyrham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,049,844, 3 May 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brilliant Films, Fred Films, Head Gear Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julian Sands, Christian McKay, and Amanda Abbington are all "Agatha Christie veterans" and had previously appeared in TV renditions of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple novels before working on this Christie film adaptation.

---

Goofs

Although the movie takes place in 1957, at least four recordings played on the phonograph post-date that year: "Shakin' All Over," "You've Been Talkin' 'Bout Me, Baby," "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" and "Alone At Last."

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Newsreel Announcer: Death of a legend. It is with sorrow that the country learned this week of the death of Aristide Leonides. Born in 1871, he arrived from Greece, aged 23, without a penny in his pocket, and opened his first restaurant that same year. The first hotel was ready for business not long after. His first wife, Lady Marcia de Haviland, died young. But Mr. Leonides wasn't alone at the end. He is survived by his young and lovely American widow, Brenda. Here is Mr. Leonides with his eldest ...

---

Connections

References The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)

---

Soundtracks

See See Rider
Performed by Donald Byrd
By kind permission of Verve Records

User Reviews

Not Bad

I have not read the book, so I'm unable to make comparisons. Seeing as Agatha Christie thought this to be her best book, I'm guessing the novel was 10x better than the movie.

I felt the film itself moved quite slowly, despite being nearly 2 hours long. I felt myself at points losing interest. I'm thinking we needed a Marple or Poirot in this to spice it up a bit! I'm absolutely obsessed with the Poirot series; I find it thrilling, jam packed with twists, and so when I come across any Agatha Christie adaptation, I'm expecting them to live up to these high standards, but this fell short. I don't believe there was enough time with the suspects for the audience to build cases against them. However I must say that the big reveal of the actual killer left me speechless, it made up for the rest of the movie being quite boring, otherwise my score would be a lot lower. I'd say instead of big named productions, stick to the BBC/ITV adaptations of Agatha Christie's work....so much better.

By the way Glenn Close was fab.