Here’s another great example of British mystery movies! My husband and I were riveted by this terrific mystery movie (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Murder at Road Hill House) which I would describe as Cozy. This 2011 ITV production is based on a real crime which took place in England in 1860. (Author Kate Summerscale wrote the non-fiction book (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective), on which the movie is based.)
The costumes, settings, acting, well… everything is phenomenal. Detective Whicher is very convincingly played by Paddy Considine. As the first movie begins (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Murder at Road Hill House) we discover that Inspector Whicher is the best detective in Victorian England’s Scotland Yard force, which is why he is chosen to go to a small town to solve a murder. The father of a murdered boy very much wants the case solved, so he informs the local police chief that Mr. Whicher is to be in charge of the case. Of course, this causes some bad feelings from the townspeople, including the entire local police force. They think of Mr. Whicher as an uppity outsider from London.
The movie follows Inspector Whicher’s detecting. He is given a very short amount of time to solve the case. He insists he needs more time. Toward the end of his allotted time, his fellow Scotland Yard friend Dolly (played by William beck) is sent to help him. I don’t want to divulge anymore, in hopes that you watch (and enjoy!) the movie.
I strongly recommend this British mystery movie. We haven’t watched the other three Mr. Whicher movies yet, but plan to watch them very soon. They are as follows:
Movie 2 – The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane (2013)
Movie 3 – The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Beyond the Pale (2014)
Movie 4 – The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Ties That Bind (2014)
If the last three Mr. Whicher mystery movies are as good as the first, we’re all in for a treat!
P.S. My husband and I watched The Suspicion of Mr. Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane (the second TV mystery movie in the series) last night and while it was very good, it showed a few corpses that had been violently killed, so it might qualify as a bit less “Cozy” than the first.
P.P.P.S. I have received a letter from someone complaining that these are not Cozies. I liken the two movies my husband and I have watched more to Prime Suspect & Dalziel and Pascoe…
P.P.S. All four of the Mr. Whicher mysteries are available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming.
M.Christopher says
I saw all of the Mr. Whicher movies, but I would definitely not classify them as Cozy Mysteries. I did enjoy them.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
M.Christopher, I thought they were pretty careful on the first show, but I would definitely say the second one is a little more “realistic”…
PamB says
Thank you for this post Danna. I’m excited as I do have Amazon Prime and have yet to take advantage of the movies. I’ve looked several times to find something I was interested in watching but wasn’t successful and then not for sure if I would like watching on a laptop. Yay…tonight I’ll be watching the first episode.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
PamB, my husband and I have been trying a lot of mystery shows on Amazon Prime. We’ve only watched the first two, and I have to say the second one was a little grittier than I had expected. Let’s just say the makeup department did an exceptional job! I hope you enjoy the show.
Carol says
Thank you! I’ll definitely check them out.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Carol, you’re welcome! I hope you enjoy them.
Bek says
I have GOT to get away from cable and onto Amazon Prime, if I could just find a list of networks they carry! Or SOMETHING besides cable! Those movies sound wonderful!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, Amazon Prime replaces cable in a lot of ways, but I have to admit I’d miss a lot of things if I did drop cable.
Martha G. says
These movies are fantastic. Wish they were still making them.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Martha, so do we!
Betty says
I already the book, then viewed the four mysteries on Amazon Prime, and they were enjoyable in every way. The scenery, interiors, and costumes appear to be very realistic and wonderful to view. I kept pausing to just look again and more closely at everything. The casting and dialog – everything was incredible. I look forward to seeing them again.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Betty, we haven’t seen them all yet (and I haven’t read the book), but I agree that the ones that I’ve seen so far have been excellent and the others show every indication of being the same quality!
D. Sroufe says
I watched all 4 films and thought they were great! Thanks for sharing.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
D., you’re welcome!