Gosford Park

R

Released Dec 26, 2001

2 hr. 17 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

Drama

List

87%

165 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Robert Altman, one of America's most distinctive filmmakers, journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble cast. Set in the 1930's, "Gosford Park" brings a group of pretentious rich and famous together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

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Critics Consensus

A mixture of Upstairs, Downstairs, Clue, and perceptive social commentary, Gosford Park ranks among director Altman's best.

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Alec C

Altman takes a murder among the wealthy elite and turns it into a fun thrill-ride! As the wealthy guests and the staff mingle among themselves, a murderer hides in the midst. As its multitude of talented actors try to cope with the killing, we're left guessing after the credits begin to roll!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

Kyle M

If you're a fan of "Downton Abbey", or just casually enjoy it, then this is your definite cup of tea. While yet to be fully discovered aside from conceptualizing "MASH", director Robert Altman may have invited us into a story with potential serial, structural narrative exploiting on associated theming like before. He repeated that in "Gosford Park", inspired by Jean Rinor's "The Rules of the Game", but it was later carried by writer Julian Fellowes pre-dating the experience as setup for the aforementioned show. The 1939 French classic been criticized, re-evaluated and praised as a fine masterpiece, till Altman and Fellowes satirically puts in a murder mystery twist from Agatha Christie's veins. As a result, it more or less deserves its accolade considering its competition. Set in 1930s England, a group of the pretentious rich and famous get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort, until one of them got murdered. Usually tensions are high at this point whereas everyone becomes a suspect, but the event only lingers as their conversations carries on from gossip to wonder with non-threatening secrecy that would weigh their surrounding interest. The main worry is someone among their party willing to put blood on its hands, but confident arrogance says otherwise till one finally connects the dots and another provides an unfolding twist. Sounds inconsequential, especially comparing the overall characterization akin to "Murder on the Orient Express" as unlawful justice gets served, and these characters gets dissected by each other rather than the investigator who seemingly drives the awaited satire. But while the "whodunnit" mystery signifies this narrative as a generic twist, providing an opportune lead in creatively establishing fresh characterized backgrounds with arguable motives and noted timing, it only proves secondary as attracting leverage. It's more thematically driven in perceptively depicting class conflict with a hint of satirical degree by the financial oppressor's reliance on the lower class's more functioning, knowledgeable skills since money deprives true worth. Even with a complex range of opined characters with subtle investigation weaving conversationally, the film exceeds its grasp that turned loose, evoking unsympathetic connections to them, therefore not identifying the cast with appreciation. Exquisitely prompted, elegantly communicated that overdid towards mostly indistinction, it houses an ensemble cast with defining merits to their calibers, adjacent to the classy music provided by Patrick Doyle. The entertainment value behind "Gosford Park" only maximizes to the minimum whilst its form excelled with acclaim upon being released, it's the murder mystery aspect that kept the film from being a remake of Renoir's sophisticated classic as it seems to repeat the initial reception. The seamless conversations kept it decently interesting as its main defining engagement, not the thrills over the spiked occurrence to amplify the party with lesser impacts. Back then, it's an opened invitation held by word-of-mouth, now "Downton Abbey", which originally was a spin-off, labels this as an unofficial pilot for the converted soap opera fanatics, and a one-stop for those who haven't been allured to the whole series but should probably grasp the simplified gist. (B)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good old movie. Mystery and great acting

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/11/22

Full Review

Shioka O

Decent mystery period drama set in 30s UK. Directed by Altman, I personally prefer his satiric work about American culture. Great cast, and production quality is really high. You have to wait until the murder occurred that is in the middle of full running time.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/22

Full Review

crustina d

brilliantly delicious cinema to eat up!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

dave s

Granted, you'll probably need a notepad handy to keep track of the countless characters, their relationships to one another, and their motivation to commit murder, but Gosford Park, a late entry in the Robert Altman oeuvre, remains an interesting whodunnit. Set in the English countryside, the wealthy and privileged gather for a hunting party, doted on by their faithful servants. Other than some backstabbing, gossip, and abhorrent treatment of those ‘below stairs', all is going well until one of the aristocrats is found dead. Other than the fact that it takes almost ninety minutes before the murder occurs and the maddening complexity of the relationships, it is an exceptionally well-written, acted, and directed (all of Altman's trademark stylings are evident) satirical murder mystery and a must-see for fans of Altman.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Roger Clarke

Independent (UK)

I don't think I've ever seen the British class system of the 1930s so artfully dissected. It's all the more remarkable when you consider that Altman is a 76-year-old American -- albeit a Southern gent. A huge, huge treat.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 8, 2023

Full Review

Telegraph Staff

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Robert Altman's brilliant new film is part Upstairs Downstairs, part Agatha Christie, but mainly it is a piece of social observation as good as anything Altman has hitherto delivered.

Nov 8, 2023

Full Review

Noel Murray

The Verge

For a film about homicide and class conflict, Gosford Park is surprisingly congenial.

Sep 20, 2019

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

A masterclass in narrative plate-spinning from Robert Altman and his feast of a cast.

Oct 7, 2023

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Not exactly a "comedy", even a dark one, but suffused with a tart, ironic wit.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 28, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A beautifully acted, intricately made, and delightfully critical picture that nonetheless locates moments of humanity in a debased class system.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 14, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Robert Altman, one of America's most distinctive filmmakers, journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble cast. Set in the 1930's, "Gosford Park" brings a group of pretentious rich and famous together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

Director: Robert Altman
Screenwriter: Julian Fellowes
Distributor: USA Films
Production Co: Film Council, Sandcastle 5 Productions, Capitol Films, USA Films, Medusa Film
Rating: R (Some Language|Brief Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 26, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $41.3M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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