DIRECTOR: Tom George
CAST: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson, David Oyelowo, Charlie Cooper, Shirley Henderson, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Pearl Chanda, Paul Chahidi, Sian Clifford, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Lucian Msamati, Tim Key
RUNNING TIME: 98 mins
CERTIFICATE: 12A
BASICALLY…: A detective (Rockwell) investigates a murder in London’s West End…
NOW FOR THE REVIEW…
For seventy years, Agatha Christie’s murder-mystery play The Mousetrap has evaded the big screen, and in true Christie fashion it’s a rather cunning excuse. Film rights to the author’s successful play were originally snapped by producer John Woolf in 1956, but the contract stipulated that no film version could be made until the production had finally finished its run in the West End – which, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, would still be going on to this very day.
However, that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from trying their hardest to get around that particular clause, resulting in See How They Run being a surprisingly meta adaptation that cleverly does The Mousetrap without ever exactly being The Mousetrap. It’s a smart idea, and a rather fun and lively execution which gleefully plays with whodunnit expectations while also still honouring some of its most recognisable conventions.
Set in 1953, as The Mousetrap celebrates its 100th performance in London’s West End, Hollywood director Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) – in town to attempt the Herculean task of adapting Christie’s play into a feature – is found to have been murdered. Immediately on the case is world-weary alcoholic detective Stoppard (Sam Rockwell), who along with overly-eager rookie constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) begins piecing together the puzzle as they interview several potential suspects, from pretentious playwright Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) to stage manager Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson), to actual historical figures associated with the play, such as lead actor Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson) and even the aforementioned would-be producer John Woolf (Reese Shearsmith).
The movie has an old-fashioned whodunnit structure; someone is murdered, suspects are introduced, you think it’s one person but then they’re indisposed, and so on. However, director Tom George and writer Mark Chappell play around with the traditional set-up by poking fun at its own storytelling methods, such as the sudden flashbacks to days earlier, and the explicit foreshadowing of its overblown climax. Narration is even provided by the victim, Adrien Brody’s Köpernick, who opens the movie lambasting murder-mysteries and what he feels are its stale clichés, exactly as some of them are being played out. It’s the type of self-aware writing that would quickly become very annoying if it was constantly being used, but George and Chappell do restrain themselves from going too overboard with its own meta-ness, and keep as much focus as they can on delivering their own whodunnit story, which despite Köpernick’s laments are still able to work despite the familiarity surrounding it.
Even if you are able to correctly guess who the killer may be, See How They Run still ensures you have as much fun on that journey as you possibly can, and most of that comes from just how energetic and funny the cast can be. You have great dramatic actors like David Oyelowo and Ruth Wilson having fun as they go over-the-top comedic in their own ways (his is more flamboyant, while hers is undeniably deadpan), and then there’s a stellar Richard Attenborough impression by Harris Dickinson which steals entire scenes at times, but the film is easily carried the furthest by the unexpected comedy duo of Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan. There’s something about Rockwell’s lethargic, dry delivery being next to Ronan’s peppier and eager turn that makes for some strong laughs, with the stark contrast in personalities as well as their committed turns (Ronan is especially making every second count, her character being scatter-brained but still competent and effortlessly likeable) making you both want to root for them, but also come under serious doubt when the film suggests a possible turn of events that do leave you guessing until the last moment.
Overall, it is a fun movie to watch, but compared to some other recent postmodern whodunnit thrillers – specifically Knives Out – See How They Run tends to pale next to them. Knives Out is a much smarter and more complex whodunnit than this is, which by comparison is a lot lighter and reasonably safe in its ideas and themes, but they’re apples and oranges in every other department, and luckily there is enough about See How They Run which is entertaining to sit through and thus recommend to anyone looking for a fun escapist movie to keep you thinking throughout.
Plus, until the play finally decides to permanently drop the curtain, it’s also technically the best adaptation of The Mousetrap we’re going to get for a long while.
SO, TO SUM UP…
See How They Run is a fun and entertainingly self-aware whodunnit, which while not as smart or complex as something like Knives Out still manages to have fun with its own murder-mystery conventions, while also still being a playful story in its own right, one that is easily boosted by its committed and impressive cast.
