The Sheep Detectives

Based on the book Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, The Sheep Detectives follows a flock of grieving sheep who become amateur sleuths following the murder of their shepherd. That may sound like too far-fetched a premise, but this is an enjoyably offbeat take on the traditional detective tale.

Set in a sleepy village, Hugh Jackman is suitably cast as kindly shepherd George Hardy, who regales his adoring flock with murder mystery stories each night. But he ultimately becomes the victim of his own murder mystery – and everyone’s a suspect. The peculiar villagers initially appear Hot Fuzz-adjacent, with hapless bobby Tim (Nicholas Braun impressing with an English accent) coming up with all sorts of absurd justifications for George suffering a natural death. Then, there’s Conleth Hill as a sadistic butcher who thinks men who display any traits slightly above neanderthal must be vegetarians; Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is a sinister priest to whom George seemingly owed a debt; Hong Chau plays Beth, George’s jilted admirer who slices through his personal letters with a knife and a sneer.

With an all-star cast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus injects her distinctive enthusiasm into voicing the smartest sheep of the flock, Lily, and Chris O’Dowd returns to his signature affable buddy role as Mopple. Patrick Stewart chews the grassy scenery as Sir Richfield, who struts about flexing his fine wool. Meanwhile, Bryan Cranston imbues the film with a brooding, existential undercurrent as Sebastian, the ageing black sheep of the flock. This isn’t the only dark turn the film takes. The butcher and a local businessman want to turn George’s land into a factory farm, leading to the flock discovering the horrors of the abattoir.

The story is undoubtedly endearing, but as sweet as it may be, the film never quite lives up to the quirky potential of its premise. Many of the plot developments will be lost on younger audiences, as evidenced by the puzzled children at the screening who muttered, not for the last time, “What does that mean, daddy?” Beyond the cute characters, this is one that will likely appeal to the parents, rather than the kids.

The Sheep Detectives works best when viewed in a similar vein to, say, a lighthearted adult whodunnit like Jennifer Aniston/Adam Sandler vehicle Murder Mystery. And its stellar voice-acting and pleasantly rendered CGI certainly make for ewe-nique entertainment.