See How They Run: A Cutesy Whodunit That's All Fluff
In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.
“It’s a whodunit. You seen one, you’ve seen em all,” says Adrien Brody’s Leo Kopernick, a film director tasked with bringing Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” to the big screen, in a voiceover from beyond the grave (akin to Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard). Thus begins, Tom George’s See How They Run, a film that applies somewhat of a “who cares?” attitude to the classic murder mystery. It’s a film that understands the genre conventions and tropes, but despite possessing this knowledge, which it’s keen to wave madly in the air like a white flag surrender, it plays right into them in a paint-by-numbers sorta way. Its winking self-awareness is used as a mask to hide the fact that it willfully slumps into the same tired old tired traps as so many films and plays and novels before it — and with little nuance or chutzpah to boot!
The film takes place in 1953 in London’s West End. Agatha Christie’s beloved play “The Mousetrap,” which was based on a real-life case of murder and abuse, has just hit its 100th performance with plans to continue performing the hit play for the foreseeable future. The play has been such a smash that there’s talks of it being adapted to the silver screen. Enter the cocky Leo Kopernick (Adrian Brody), an American film director who’s unimpressed by the play and the whodunit genre and wants to turn the film-version into an exciting shootout wherein the killer confesses to the murders, is shot down — but not before he’s able to fire off a bullet at our hero, the world-weary detective. This approach doesn’t sit well with the screenwriter, Mervyn Cocker-Norris (played by David Oyelowo), who’s had a few intense squabbles with Kopernick. Then again, Kopernick is the kinda fellow who tends to rub a lot of folks the wrong way. With so many targets on his back, there’s little wonder why Kopernick gets bumped off first
Enter our actual world-weary detective, Inspector Stoppard (played with a wobbly English accent by Sam Rockwell), who’s immediately partnered with rookie Police Constable Stalker (played by Saoirse Ronan). Together, the two attempt to figure out who’s the culprit behind the string of murders that ensues, which involves fictionalizations of real-life figures like Richard Attenborough, his wife Sheila Sim, and even Agatha Christie herself. As the investigation goes down the usual pathways of interrogation and misdirection, the film begins to mirror Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” in a moment of art imitating art. You might not see the reveal of the killer coming — don’t worry, it’s also not a mindblowing epiphany — but See How They Run saunters precisely where you think it’ll go.
Its mileage is going to vary depending on how well-versed an individual is in the ways of the genre, but it didn’t really work for us. There were fleeting sparks of fun, but they waver and are as fleeting as Rockwell’s accent. The chemistry between Rockwell’s indifferent detective and Ronan’s try-hard constable help to keep you engaged, but it’s Brody who’s the standout. It’s just unfortunate that he’s hampered by his early demise. It’s shot competently enough, and looks pretty decent, but some of the lighting felt off and cheapened the look. The comedy, like the plotting, was a bit on the weaker end and delivered with the imprecise timing that results in an inconsistent success rate. Aside from one instance in which we’re following multiple characters as they roam about, the decision to go split screen isn’t very effective either.
See How They Run isn’t a exactly a “A second-rate murder mystery” — Kopernick’s words, not ours! — but it’s certainly a middling effort, which will charm some and underwhelm others. It admittedly engages in its material in a somewhat interesting way, but its familiar journey and self-winking attitude certainly render any cleverness and fun as mostly dressed up fluff. It would seem that we’re in a whodunit renaissance, and compared to recent efforts like Knives Out or Bodies Bodies Bodies, See How They Run just doesn’t stack up or push the genre in any memorable ways.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a light and disposable way to spend an afternoon, give See How They Run a day in court. Otherwise, maybe hold off on this one till it hits streaming or VOD.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!