Gosford Park (2001)

Altman. In 1932 a gathering of Aristocrats at an English Country Estate turns to murder. Scotland Yard investigates and finds everyone had a motive. Actually, the movie is more Galsworthy than Agatha Christie - not really murder mystery more of recreation of 30s English society with a great ensemble cast. The film is well acted - standouts include Helen Miren and Maggie Smith. Further pluses include high production values and some good period music. Negatives: Too many shallow characters with too many subplots, too much time-wasting,chit chat, Its a two hour movie and I counted at least 20 major/minor characters. Summary: Some great acting, great individual scenes and funny one-liners but there's no real story and the characters are underdeveloped and not very likable. In other words, its like many Altman movies. The scriptwriter commentary fleshes out the characters and makes the story more clear - but a move should stand on its own. Rating **1/2