by John Tillyard, Contributing Writer
Shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) regularly reads murder mystery novels to the sheep he cares for. However, when George is found dead one morning, the sheep attempt to use their knowledge from the stories George has read them to work out what happened to him and solve his murder. Meanwhile, police officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) is brought in to investigate the murder with the help of George’s lawyer, Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), his daughter, Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), and reporter Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine).
Based on the novel Three Bags Full, by crime writer Leonie Swann, this is a classic “whodunit” story with a large variety of colorful characters, many of whom are suspects or think they know who the murderer is. The difference here is that many of these characters are sheep. These woolly four-legged investigators are led by Lily (Julia Louis- Dreyfus), who is aided by wise mentor figure Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) and comic relief Mopple (Chris O’Dowd). But the key question is, does this lead to a mystery that is baa-rilliant or a bit of a mutton-headed mess?
A lot of the comedy in the first act of this story comes from the sheep being familiar with how a typical murder mystery story goes, thanks to George, who has read many to them. So, they can spot the typical tropes of these types of stories. This helps make the somewhat formulaic feel of the opening act much more enjoyable. Listening to a character list the suspects is somehow funny when a sheep has just pointed out that this always happens in this type of story. Another fun aspect of the early part of this story is how wholesome everything feels. There’s no feeling of shock or sadness from the sheep about their shepherd’s passing; they immediately focus on working out what happened and who could have done it.
Like all mystery stories, there are many red herrings and misdirection as the story attempts to pull the wool over your eyes (a pun present in the film in the name of one of the sheep). At the same time, clues to the real solution are shown very early on, so it’s certainly possible to work this out before the ending. What’s less effective here is the planting of misleading evidence; it all seems far too telegraphed, as if to throw you off the scent. You instantly know that the clues thrown in your face are ones to ignore, and the ones shown more subtly are the ones needing attention. The actual way the mystery is solved is quite an original idea that I don’t remember seeing before in a mystery story. It’s the sort of thing younger audience members could work out, but at the same time, it is certainly not particularly obvious.
One particularly original aspect of this story is that it’s all told through the eyes of a herd of sheep. The sheep understand what humans are saying but lack sufficient knowledge of the human world to fully comprehend what they are hearing. The stories George has read are literally all the experience they have in piecing together what might have happened. This lack of knowledge also leads to some rather generic slapstick or fish-out-of-water moments, giving the film a more juvenile feel.
With this being a live-action film featuring a decent number of talking sheep, the mouth effects needed to look decent. Bad mouth effects would have been very distracting and ruined the entire experience. While the sight of a sheep’s mouth moving like a human’s is still a little off-putting in the uncanny valley, not to mention the strangeness of an expressive mouth accompanied by expressionless eyes, the effect looks about as believable as possible.
There is a massively stacked cast here, with Jackman and Cranston sharing the list alongside similarly big names such as Patrick Stewart and Bella Ramsey. Jackman, of course, has limited screen time as the murder victim, but he still gets a good amount of time to draw you into the story and even gets a significant moment in a fantasy scene. Braun, however, is the real standout among the on-screen actors, as he portrays a meek police officer who gradually grows in confidence throughout the story. Louis-Dreyfus does a great job as the lead voice role, giving off a clear sense of a character who has a lot of knowledge but is also aware that they don’t know everything. Cranston felt a little Walter White with some of his speeches, but he is still as compelling as ever. O’Dowd has several great comedic moments that he enhances with his delivery. Brett Goldstein has a very enjoyable dual role, with a running gag that adds plenty of laughs and a satisfying payoff in the climax. Somehow, the sheep having a mix of English, Irish, American, and New Zealand accents didn’t seem distracting, and it further enhanced the variety of personalities among the sheep.
This story about a murder solved by a flock of farm animals might surprise you with its cleverness and realism. Set in a surprisingly realistic world where humans can’t understand the sheep’s speech, and sheep have only a limited grasp of human life. It bucks the usual expectations for a story with talking animals, opting for live action rather than animation. This hints at a more contemporary relationship between the sheep and humans. The cast is a delightful mix of suspects and genuinely interesting characters, both human and sheep, adding charm and depth. It almost feels like a pilot for a TV series, thanks to this diverse lineup. While the humor won’t have you rolling on the floor, it’s well-timed and consistently hits the mark; no jokes fall flat. The mystery is engaging, neither too obvious nor too obscure, and you might work it out before the final reveal. While The Sheep Detectives is not a movie everyone will flock to see, if you do choose to sit down with the film, it will definitely satisfy ewe.
Rating: Liked It
The Sheep Detectives is currently playing in theaters
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