'The Sheep Detectives' Is Three Bags Full of Surprises

It’s a movie about talking sheep trying to solve a murder. If it sounds more than a little silly, that’s because it is. Based on a book by German author Leoni Swann originally titled Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi (or Glennkill: A Sheep Thriller) and Three Bags Full in the English translation, The Sheep Detectives is a whodunit that follows the basic rules of a murder mystery with the slight twist of having talking sheep do the actual detective work. It’s adapted for the big screen by Craig Mazin, who adapted The Last of Us for HBO Max. If anyone is capable of making talking sheep interesting and even relatable or lovable, it’s Mazin, who is responsible for one of the greatest single episodes on television. ‘Long, Long Time’, the third episode of The Last of Us’ first season, features a mere side character from the franchise and yet showcases some of the most powerful storytelling in one episode. It should surprise no one, then, that The Sheep Detectives is a storytelling delight and an escapist triumph that we sorely need in a world reeling from one unjust war after another.

The Sheep Detectives is on par with some of the best whodunits, a quality murder mystery that stands shoulder to shoulder with Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series or an Agatha Christie story. In this case, Swann’s Benoit Blanc or Hercule Poirot is an unassuming sheep named Lily (Miss Maple in the book), voiced by the timeless Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Lily is the “smartest sheep in the world,” according to her flock, and she sets out to solve the mystery of her shepherd George Hardy’s (Hugh Jackman) murder. The setup works mainly because the tiny English town of Denbrook’s lone police officer, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), is a lovable, bumbling mess who hasn’t the first clue about how to solve a murder. Braun plays the proverbial innocent lamb so well that audiences are immediately drawn to cheering for him, or at least that he cottons on to what the sheep are trying to tell him.

The cast is stellar, from He-Man himself, Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews, a visiting reporter looking for a breakout story; to Emma Thompson as Hardy’s estate lawyer, Lydia Harbottle; to The Whale’s Hong Chau as innkeeper Beth Pennock. The sheep, too, have a smattering of familiar voices, such as Bryan Cranston as the black sheep Sebastian; Patrick Stewart, who lends his unmistakable timbre to Sir Richfield; and even Ted Lasso favorite Roy Kent, Brett Goldstein, voices dual roles of headstrong twin sheep Reggie and Ronnie. Even The Last of Us lead star Bella Ramsey gets to cameo as the inquisitive, brown-wooled Zora. 

The Sheep Detectives plays with its own sheep mythology, where sheep are able to collectively forget unpleasant events at will, which allows them to go about their daily business without sadness or worry. The sheep also believe that they simply turn into clouds when they die, which adds to their innocence and willful naivety. One of the sheep, Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), however, is cursed with memory and isn’t able to forget terrible things, unlike the rest of the flock, knowing the painful truth of the reality of death. Mazin weaves a wonderful narrative about the importance of memory in what should be an otherwise mundane murder mystery, about how grief and love are intertwined, and how our memory of those who have passed is the only way to keep them alive.

Like all good whodunits, The Sheep Detectives is a guessing game from start to finish, although there’s the slight hiccup of overexposition at the grand reveal. Mazin expertly uses the double narrative structure of the murder mystery not just to engage the audience in the story but also to endear all the characters to them. The sheep are the real stars, after all, and the humans are essentially just props in a story where the heroes learn more about themselves as they try to uncover who murdered their shepherd, who loved them most. 

It’s a surprisingly strong live-action debut from director Kyle Balda, who previously helmed the animated side-splitters Minions and Despicable Me 3. Mazin and Balda craft a genuine treat for the whole family that’s a perfect blend of humor and emotional beats, a story told in such solid fashion that it touches a broad spectrum of hearts, both young and old. The Sheep Detectives is this year’s most pleasant surprise, a murder mystery that’s much, much more than just your average whodunit. It’s a story where the heroic detective grows and discovers as much about herself and the nature of life and the wider world at large as she does about the mystery at hand. Lily might be the ‘smartest sheep in the world,’ but she learns that only holds true if your entire world consists of Denbrook and its neighboring fields. Her journey of self-discovery and going beyond her limits is the real story, more than the sheep’s clothing of the murder mystery it's wrapped in. The Sheep Detectives is one of 2026’s best films yet and guaranteed to be a real treat for the whole family.

ALSO READ:

'Mortal Kombat II' Delivers Boredom a Fatality

'Michael' Is an Incomplete, Inaccurate, but Beautiful Snapshot of One Man's Extraordinary Life