• Home
  • Movie News
  • Movie Trailers
  • Reviews
    • Cinema Reviews
    • Home Entertainment Reviews
      • Blu-ray Review
      • DVD Review
  • Competitions
  • Features
    • Interview

Movie Muser

Have your say about cinema

Strike: The Cuckoo’s Calling (DVD Review)

27th November 2017 By Tim Isaac

Starring: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Tara Fitzgerald, Martin Shaw
Directed By: Michael Keillor
Running Time: 180 mins
BBFC Certificate: 15
UK Release Date: November 27th 2017 (UK)

Our Score

Apparently, the BBC enquired about the rights to Robert Galbraith’s novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, before it was revealed that Galbraith was actually a pseudonym of JK Rowling. However, it’s likely their plans for a TV version changed once they realised the interest that would be generated by the connection to the Harry Potter author.

This year we got five episodes of ‘Strike’, the first three of which adapted The Cuckoo’s Calling, and the other two The Silkworm. This DVD just contains the former, introducing us to private eye Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) – an injured war veteran (he lost part of his leg in Afghanistan), who’s swimming in debt and sleeping in his office.

He’s hired to look into the death of model Lula Landry. Although officially classified a suicide, her brother thinks it was murder. At the same time Cormoran also picks up a Girl Friday in the form of temp secretary, Robin (Holliday Grainger), who turns out to be more useful than the gumshoe expected.

As Strike looks further into the case, things get increasingly dangerous.

Things would probably have been better for The Cuckoo’s Calling if the aura of Rowling didn’t hang over it. Rather like mini-series adaptation of her previous book, The Casual Vacancy, it brings a weight of expectation that it would be difficult to live up to. With Strike, we have a decent new TV detective, but it feels a bit disappointing as it’s nothing we haven’t seen many times before. Indeed, the character of Strike is pretty much a pulp novel cliché transplanted into the body of a 21st Century man. Thankfully he’s given charming life by the talented and genial Tom Burke. Holliday Grainger also gives it her all as his sidekick, but to be honest she’s not given a vast amount to do.

I also wonder whether if it wasn’t for the aura of Rowling, The Cuckoo’s Calling would have been given a shorter, sharper adaptation. Spreading it out over three episodes stretches the plot out quite thinly, particularly because it’s not the most enthralling, intricate mystery the world has ever seen. Two episodes would have been more than enough to do it justice, as without the Rowling/Galbraith prose to keep you hooked, the plot itself isn’t all that different to many other mysteries and has to be stretched out over three hours.

I know I’m sounding pretty negative, which I don’t mean to. It’s just that with the talent on display here, not least from the actors, this could have been more than it is. Even stretched out over three hours it’s entertaining and keeps you pulled in, but with more thought and intensity it could have brought out both the humour and the dark edges far more than it does.

What it undoubtedly does is work as a decent pilot for what could become a really good detective series. There’s enough here to make the viewer want to see more, even if they may wish The Cuckoo’s Calling itself was at least equal to the sum of its parts.

Overall Verdict: Perhaps a little too in thrall to its superstar author, but The Cuckoo’s Calling is a watchable first TV adventure for private eye Cormoran Strike.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

Special Features:
Featurette

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Tara Fitzgerald, Martin Shaw  

Search this site…

Get Social

RSSTwitterFacebook

Get new posts by e-mail

Get the latest in our daily e-mail

Latest Cinema & Home Ent. Reviews

Mortal Engines (Cinema Review)

Anna and the Apocalypse (Cinema Review)

Suspiria (Cinema Review)

Overlord (Cinema Review)

King of Thieves (Cinema Review)

Isle of Dogs (DVD Review)

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Cinema Review)

Tomb Raider (Blu-ray Review)

The Bridge 4 (DVD Review)

My Friend Dahmer (Cinema Review)

Latest News & Trailers

Detective Pikachu Trailer – Pokemon is going live action with Ryan Reynolds

Toy Story 4 Teaser Trailer – Woody & the gang are coming back once more

Aladdin Teaser Trailer – Guy Ritchie directs Disney’s latest live-action adaptation

New Glass Trailer – The worlds of Unbreakable and Split meet

Aquaman Extended Trailer – Jason Momoa goes to war under the seas against Patrick Wilson

New Overlord Trailer – Soldiers take on Nazi-created zombies in the JJ Abrams produced movie

The Mule Trailer – Clint Eastwood is an octogenarian drug runner opposite Bradley Cooper

Vice Trailer – Christian Bale transforms into former Vice President Dick Cheney

Mary Queen of Scots Trailer – Saoirse Ronan & Margot Robbie get Elizabethan

New Mortal Engines Trailer – London is literally on the move in the steampunk fantasy

Handpicked MediaHandpicked MediaCopyright © 2025 Muser Media · Powered by WordPress & Genesis Framework · Log in
Movie Muser is a member of The Handpicked Media network

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.