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 by), Tim Rose Price (screenplay by)

Stars:

Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close

2 wins & 1 nomination.

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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

From the bestselling author of all time, comes one of her personal favourite thrillers.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lady Edith says to Charles, "Sophia believes there's a Borgia living under this roof." The Borgias were a powerful family during the 15th and 16th centuries who were suspected of many crimes, notably murder by poisoning. Max Irons's (Charles Hayward) father Jeremy Irons played Rodrigo Borgia (aka Pope Alexander VI) in The Borgias (2011).

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Goofs

Charles gave the car repairman a starter cable, which he had obviously removed himself, and claimed this is the reason the car would not start, however, when he tried to start it, the starter worked perfectly, but the engine would not fire. This implies that it was the ignition system that he tampered with, not the starter motor.

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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 ...

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Connections

References The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A Lavish production

It is so wonderful to see Agatha Christie's work still in demand, on the small and big screen alike. Brave to see the production team take on Crooked House, a feat never before attempted. The results are pretty good, as a novel I think Crooked House is one of her best, it is outstanding, so the story is not in question, firstly it's quite a faithful adaptation, and they were brave enough to stick with the shock ending. The acting is excellent, Glenn Close is commanding in every single scene, showing the class act she is. Gillian Anderson and young Honor Kneafsey also impress. The settings and fashions are flawless, it looks wonderfully glamorous, and is again in keeping with the text. If I were being critical I would pick on some of the editing and cutting, at times it was a bit clunky, which is a shame because the core elements are strong.

I'm always glad to see a new production from Agatha Christie's catalogue of brilliance. More please, 7/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crooked House

Filming Locations:

Dyrham Park, Dyrham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,682,156

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fred Films, Stage 6 Films, Metro International Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1