The Sheep Detectives (PG, 109 mins) is a film that aims to charm but only intermittently succeeds, offering moments of shear pleasure amid a woolly plot. The 2015 classic Shaun The Sheep and its 2019 sequel Farmageddon set a formidably high baa in ovine comedies, but this latest entry reaches it only sporadically.
A Star-Studded Cast and Crew
With a pedigree that includes Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson in live-action roles, and a voice ensemble featuring Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Chris O'Dowd, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, expectations were high. Director Kyle Balda (Minions) and writer Craig Mazin, whose credits range from The Hangover Part II to the brilliant Chernobyl, add further credibility. Producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title bring a history of hits.
The film's working title was Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, taken from the 2005 novel by German writer Leonie Swann, hinting at a woolly version of the Knives Out series. The setting is rural England, evoking Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders, with a convoluted plot reminiscent of the latest Knives Out picture, but with added computer-generated talking sheep.
The Plot
Hugh Jackman plays George Hardy, a shepherd devoted to his flock, giving them names like Ronnie and Reggie (pugnacious twin rams), feeding them blue medicine, and reading detective stories at twilight. He thinks they can't talk, but we know otherwise. Soon, a real murder occurs: George himself is killed. The herd, led by 'the world's smartest sheep' Lily (Louis-Dreyfus), along with Mopple (O'Dowd) and Sebastian (Cranston), must solve the crime.
On the human side, Nicholas Braun plays a local copper (reprising his amiable dimwit from Succession), Nicholas Galitzine is a dogged newspaperman, and Hong Chau portrays a sneaky shopkeeper. Thompson plays George's sharp-tongued lawyer, who reveals he had two children given up for adoption.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The film bowls along merrily, with splendidly rendered CGI sheep and several smile-inducing lines. Lily and co are aware from detective stories that police like to pin murders on 'a drifter'. However, the film ultimately feels mildly short-changed rather than thoroughly fleeced. By the end, I hoped for more, as the charm is intermittent and the plot fails to fully engage.
