Still Life: a Three Pines Mystery

Nathaniel Parker slips back into Inspector Lynley mode for this subdued whodunnit that's set in Canada but feels like an extended episode from an old-fashioned, British TV detective series. Based on the first mystery in author Louise Penny's bestselling Armand Gamache series, it sees Parker's Québecois police chief out to solve a small-town murder involving a retired teacher killed by an arrow. Unfortunately, his enquiries are as unexciting as the sleepy locale; with the dearth of action and intensity compounded by thinly written characters and the cast's weak performances. Even Parker himself would be forgettable, were it not for his out-of-place English accent that's explained away by Gamache's Cambridge education. The film's one splash of intrigue comes courtesy of a painting by the deceased, but the secrets within only serve to bring the overly simple case to a close in a rushed and underwhelming climax.