Film maverick Robert Altman crosses the Atlantic to direct the quintessentially British Gosford Park, which is peppered with numerous overlapping characters and storylines that have become his signature in projects like M*A*S*H and The Player.

Set in 1932, Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas) gather relatives and friends over for a shooting party at the Gosford Park estate. Among the ensemble are Lady Sylvia’s sisters with their respective husbands and their snotty aunt Constance (Maggie Smith).

While the inhabitants “above stairs” congregate in false luxury, arrogance and gossip, the servants and valets “below stairs” scurry around on their masters’ whims.

What seems like an innocuous hodge-podge of characters turns into a classic whodunit mystery when someone is murdered . twice. What secrets lie in Gosford Park?

Everyone is a suspect. As the story unfolds, the lives of the people above and below stairs unravel, which is ultimately much more complex than meets the eye.

Altman assembled a cast of British actors, with the exception of Bob Balaban and Ryan Philippe. Thomas plays the haughty yet elegant Lady Sylvia to perfection. But Maggie Smith manages to steal the show as the utterly snobbish Constance, whose hilarious quirks and wicked verbal assaults pack a punch. Running a hefty 137 minutes, the movie has its dull moments. With constant cuts from one character to another (a clever shift from above to below in rapid succession), it can get pretty dizzying. Everyone has his/her own story and agenda, and all that whispering can lead to confusion if you don’t pay attention.

Nevertheless, Gosford Park’s blend is rich: It is a comedy of manners, a murder mystery and personal drama that encompasses the whole thirty-something cast of characters. But above all, it is a scathing social portrait of the caste system amongst those who dwell above the stairs . and below. Grade: B+