Crooked House Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Crooked House Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 27, 2018

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes had enjoyed the lion's share of cultural awareness over the years, well over a century since the character first appeared in print. He's not only a staple in literary circles but he's headlined television shows (and even makes a mark in others), films, and even video games. But perhaps just as significant in the Whodunnit field is Agatha Christie, herself a giant of the literary world whose works still resound today on paper and, indeed, on television. She and Doyle are certainly the titans of the field, and it's Christie's Crooked House, a novel published in 1949, that has been repurposed for the screen in 2017, directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah's Key).

Investigating.

A wealthy entrepreneur, Aristide Leonides, living in a luxurious mansion amidst his extended family, has died. Heart troubles are cited as the official cause of death, but his eldest granddaughter, Sophia (Stefanie Martini), suspects foul play. She entices a private eye, Charles Hayward (Max Irons), with whom she has a romantic history, to investigate the case. He leaves behind his cluttered office and city life to investigate within the walls of the sprawling, rural Leonides estate where he meets an eclectic collection of individuals, family by blood and marriage, all of whom, in one way or another, present as potential suspects. As he meets and interviews members of the family and those who call the estate home, he gathers notes, makes enemies and makes some waves, and quickly comes to realize that he’s in the midst of a house of idiosyncrasies, oddities, diverse personalities, and plenty of people with motive to see the family patriarch dead.

Christie’s story is one of character complexity, but it’s also one built on a basic set-up: a dead man, a doubting granddaughter, crisscrossing characters, and motives aplenty. The film presents its story largely through essential ebbs and flows, as the detective moves from one room and person to another, interviewing them and establishing their history with the dead man and with one another, sniffing out possible motives and potential suspects and gradually piecing together a collection of clues that will ultimately, unsurprisingly, lead to a reveal. The film is good at what it does, even if it’s built on and around largely stock characters and dramatic qualities. Certainly the novel allows for greater depth and increased controlled frenzy as the story develops, while the film version, a bit compact even at two hours, does its best to trudge through a rather large roster -- so large, in fact, that the Blu-ray case offers photos and a character blurb for each one -- and expose all of the possible motives for the man’s death. It’s a solid enough genre film that, beyond crude story ebbs and flows, is most reliant on characterization and presentation to work.

Crooked House is a movie that demands attention and commands the screen with its rich period presentation. The film is a sprawling, complex one where every word is critical, every gaze telling, every moment methodical. Don’t slip away for popcorn or bathroom breaks; it’s far too fluid, many key moments fleeting, and the interconnected elements too dense and complex to allow for a break in the action or illusion. The cast certainly acquits itself nicely. Part of the fun is the diversity of not only motive and personality but appearance, where nearly every individual stands apart for one reason or another. It’s essential in keeping the sprawling roster more or less straight, but also allows some diversity of presentation to help break up the otherwise monotonous procedurals necessary in establishing them all and exploring their possible role in the murder. Likewise, the film’s sprawling set pieces bring both a sense of scale and intimacy alike to the proceedings. Most every key location feels purposeful, in some way reflective of the person who occupies it. None of it necessarily makes this a great film. It’s all rather standard stuff, polished and largely perfected in its own way, and Crooked House at least passes the eye test as a solid enough mystery and Agatha Christie adaptation.

Crooked House Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Crooked House offer a fairly straight-and-true 1080p transfer. The digital source photography yields some smudgy edges but central content is revealed as sharp and pleasing to the eye. Character qualities (skin, wardrobe) as well as environmental attributes (grasses and bushes, woods and interior trimmings) all present with satisfying definition, all a little flat and glossy under the digital source constraints but finding a pleasing raw complexity that accentuates pores and hair, fabrics, and other details with praiseworthy ease. Colors are well saturated. Natural greens sparkle and various brightly colored character hair and makeup and wardrobe choices find good, positive saturation and color complexity that pops as the scene allows, particularly indoors against some of the warmer woods and darker trim. Black levels never prove problematic, and neither do flesh tones. Minor source noise creeps into lower light scenes but never to an alarming level. This is a fine Blu-ray presentation from Sony.

Crooked House Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Crooked House's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack compliments the movie well. Music plays effortlessly, finding quality stage width and clarity no matter the type or aggression. Though a talk-heavy film, a number of support sound effects present with impressive depth and detail, including immersive rain to begin the movie, booming thunder in chapter seven, several shotgun blasts that reverberate with depth and intensity, motorcycle maneuvers, and more. Light din shapes an office environment early on, while a concert offers a more open and aggressive sense of space later in the film. Dialogue is always clear and detailed, smartly positioned and prioritized to drive the narrative forward.

Crooked House Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Crooked House contains a trio of brief featurettes. No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Whodunnit? - The Characters of Crooked House (1080p, 5:19): A quick run-through of the characters and the actors who portray them.
• Elegance & Innovation: The Design of Crooked House (1080p, 4:31): A closer look at shooting locations, cobbling together various real houses to blend into one.
• Agatha Christie: A Timeless Fascination (1080p, 3:28): Cast and crew talk up the author's work.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Crooked House Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crooked House lines everything up in orderly fashion, developing and exploring all of the essential mystery red meat with a diverse cast of characters and a lavish background holding them all together. The downside is that the film doesn't really stand apart, doesn't make much of a name for itself. It acquits itself well in a very basic sense, but there's nothing here to really distinguish it from other movies of the type. Sony's Blu-ray does offer higher end video and audio as well as a trio of brief featurettes. Worth a look.