Simply A Masterpiece

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

So poorly cast. Armand Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir are Francophones not an Anglos. Armand Gamache is much warmer, refined, and compassionate. And Jean Guy is so much more intense, clipped, analytical and impatient. Agent LaCoste is not a pretty white blond woman, but is from the islands. Olivier is so much more delicate than portrayed. Ruth Zardo is never smiling, but she seems so pleasant in this movie. Whoever cast Myrna obviously never read the book. Agent Nichol is just about the closest character to the book, eye rolls and all. I love this series and had hoped for so much more. You would barely know that this was set in the Eastern Townships of Canada other than the beautiful photography. I would be happy to see the next book made into a movie with better casting or the cast more authentically portrayed. And, by the way...WHERE ARE THE THREE PINES THE VILLAGE IS NAMED FOR?

Firstly, I am generally a fan of Nathaniel Parker, but he was dreadfully miscast as Gamache. The adaptation lost the elements that made the book engaging and delightful. It kept the bones of the story but lost the heart. Ruth was insufficiently rude and blunt, Clara too bland, altogether the adaptation missed the point that these stories are as much or more about the people as about solving the mystery. Truly disappointing.

Unlike other reviewers, I haven't read any of the Inspector Gamache series. But I love Nathaniel Parker, so I watched this.Have to say it was a big bust.It was directed in a static fashion and moved slowly. Also, the acting was pretty bad.Even the mystery wasn't impressive, at least the way it was set up.An elderly woman is killed in the woods by an arrow; she was beloved in the community, so who could have killed her and why?Inspector Gamache (Parker) investigates. Someone called this "Inspector Lynley Goes to Quebec." I didn't find Parker like Inspector Lynley, who had quite a temper and wasn't anywhere as near as quiet as Gamache.The characters were not well fleshed out. All in all, kind of a waste. Reminded me of the Canadian films of Mary Higgins Clark movies - not well done.

What a disappointment, Inspector Lynley goes to Quebec and is still having problems with his wife.Having read most of Louise Penny's books based in the Province of Quebec I expected the dialogue to be in English but English as spoke by a Francophone in Quebec. I have grown weary of Inspector Lewis, Miss Marple, Poirot, etc. based in upper class English settings. The Chief Inspector Gamache series is much more interesting based in Quebec with all of the Francophone influences. Surely there are enough English speaking Francophone actors in Canada to fill out the roles. Even the actor playing Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir is apparently fluent in French, wow, couldn't come up with an accent.What a shame that none of the Quebec atmosphere survived the film making. Just another English who done it.