RATING: 5 out of 10.
VERDICT: Not so much a ‘whodunnit’ as a ‘whenaretheygoingtogetaroundtoit’.

Altman’s latest sees the American director in Agatha Christie territory as the McCordle family and friends gather together over a weekend during the 1930s to do what the idle rich did in those days (eat, fuck, gossip and shoot pheasants). The party atmosphere comes to an abrupt end when the head (Michael Gambon) of the McCordle family is found murdered.

Not funny enough to be called a comedy of manners and not so much a ‘whodunnit’ as a ‘whenaretheygoingtogetaroundtoit’ (the murder doesn’t occur until the final third of the movie), "Gosford Park" is a lightweight affair that may have been pleasant viewing had it been a piece of Sunday night television. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t cut it when you have to fork out your hard-earned readies for the privilege of watching a bunch of b-list Brit luvvies enjoying themselves in a beautiful country mansion. Altman directs the ensemble cast with his usual aplomb, somehow managing to avoid audience confusion despite the huge number of speaking parts, but it’s nowhere near as good as you would expect it to be given the director’s previous track record. Julian Fellowes’ intricate script does have its moments, but there are simply not enough of them to maintain any level of interest. And only an idiot could fail to put two and two together regarding the murder and the motive, even before the dastardly deed is committed. More tea?