The Buckingham Murders Film Review: A Complex Case of Grief and Repressed Anger in an English Town

🤡🤡🤡 (3 out of 5)

Barely stifling a yawn Alright folks, Review Rani, your favourite Bollywood film critic is here, and boy, do I have a review for you or what! Let’s dive straight into the murky pools of ‘The Buckingham Murders.’ A movie that is supposed to be a thrilling murder mystery but ends up being as exciting as watching paint dry.

So, we have our ‘detective on the edge’ Jasmeet Bhamra aka Jas (Kareena Kapoor Khan), who’s got more baggage than a Samsonite store, trying to solve a murder mystery in a sleepy English town. A Sikh boy goes missing, and all fingers point towards a Muslim teenager. To add to the fun, religious tension in the region is as high as a kite. And poor old Jas has to play Sherlock Holmes while her personal life is falling apart like a house of cards.

The movie, folks, is a classic example of what happens when you try to stuff a turkey with too many ingredients. It’s dark, it’s gloomy, and it’s as slow as a snail on Valium. It tries to be in the same league as ‘Happy Valley’, ‘Broadchurch’, ‘Blue Lights’ and ‘Mare of Easttown’, but ends up being about as thrilling as a lullaby.

‘The Buckingham Murders’ is like a kid who has borrowed his dad’s suit for a school play. It tries to wear the cloak of its illustrious predecessors but ends up looking more like a clown at a funeral. The film is so intent on making profound points about politics, religion, sexuality, and gender that it forgets it’s supposed to be a murder mystery. The interrogation scenes are as stagnant as a pond in the summer, and the characters feel as out of place as a vegan at a BBQ cookout.

The only saving grace is the character development of our brooding detective, Jas. She carries her grief and repressed anger like a badge of honour. Kareena manages to pull off a decent performance, reminding us of her roles in ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Jaane Jaan’ and ‘Talaash’. Other actors like Ranveer Brar and Ash Tandon are like the cherry on this bland cake; they’re there, but they don’t add much flavor.

In a nutshell, ‘The Buckingham Murders’ is a murder mystery where the biggest mystery is how it managed to get made in the first place. If you’re into slow-burn dramas that are more about personal trauma than actual crime-solving, this one’s for you. If you’re looking for a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller, you might as well watch paint dry. It’ll be more exciting, I promise!

Rani’s Wrap-Up: ‘The Buckingham Murders’ – where the most thrilling part is guessing when it will end! 🙄