A wonderful movie, perhaps Robert Altman's best - he has an entirely fresh setting (a mansion in the early 1930s), a new - for him at anyway - genre (Agatha Christie type murder), a superb script by Julian Fellows, a complex subject matter (class system of the time), and a sensational cast. He keeps his indulgences under control and focuses on tackling things with a fresh, withering eye.
Everyone is so good - Maggie Smith's bitchy aristocrat, Kelly MacDonald's sweet little maid, Clive Owen's brooding man of mystery, Helen Mirren's devoted maid (heartbreaking at the end with Eileen Atkins), Kirsten Scott Thomas' sensual lady of the house, Michael Gambon's horrible aristocrat (with his little dog everywhere), Emily Watson's wise old maid (I predict she'd wind up as a top Hollywood executive or a leading madam), Bob Balaban's pushy producer, Camilla Rutherford's dopey aristocrat, Tom Hollander's panicky son in law, Alan Bates corrupted butler, Richard E Grant's campy and vengeful footman, Jeremy Northam's Ivor Novello, Eileen Atkins' lioness cook. Even Ryan Philippe is good as an annoying bisexual actor.
It's consistently entertaining and interesting - it has a social point, some marvellous dialogue, and a decent story. A masterpiece.
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