Movie Monday March 20: See How They Run

My pick this week, See How They Run, is an interesting commentary on the theatre industry, murder mystery tropes, and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. It’s witty and meta at times, as well as a genuine whodunit.

**Warning, mild spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, what are you doing?**

During a party to celebrate The Mousetrap’s 100th West End performance, American director Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) is murdered. Hired by producer John Woolf (Reece Shearsmith) to make a Hollywood adaptation of the play, Leo is an outsider in London’s theatre scene. Before his death, he was disliked by many in the production. Leading man Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson) got into a fight with him on the night of his death, screenwriter Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) was upset at his many rewrites to the movie’s script, and he was blackmailing Woolf. Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is called in to investigate. He discovers Leo’s disagreements with those involved in the production and that everyone is a suspect and potential next victim. He tries to close the theatre, but is stopped by his boss. Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) is assigned to assist him, much to his annoyance. Though eager, Stalker tends to jump to conclusions quickly. The pair investigate Leo’s room at the Savoy Hotel and interview everyone, including usher Dennis (Charlie Cooper). They follow clues about a plain woman and Leo’s supposed son, Woolf’s film rights to the play, and a suspicious man seen the night of the party. After Mervyn is also murder during a performance, Stalker begins to suspect Stoppard. She thought that the plain woman was Stoppard’s ex wife who cheated, but this is proved to be untrue. The plain woman, who is the mother of Leo’s son, mentioned overhearing a man with a village idiot accent to Stalker. At the same time, Stoppard follows Mervyn’s script research to Dennis’s apartment, meeting Stalker there. It’s revealed that Dennis’s tragic childhood and brother’s death is the inspiration for the plot of The Mousetrap. All the suspects have gathered at Agatha Christie’s home, having been lured there by Dennis. He traps them and reveals himself as the killer. He wanted to halt the play and any film production that used his brother’s death for entertainment. Stoppard and Stalker arrive and stop Dennis, including Stalker almost taking a bullet, which matches one of Leo’s story pitches. The Mousetrap continues its run on the West End while Stalker passes her sergeant’s exam and Stoppard receives a medal.

So What Did I Think?

I enjoyed See How They Run like I enjoy most whodunit murder mysteries. Its plot twists just enough to be interesting, the ensemble cast worked well together, and the murderer was plausible. As an ode to Agatha Christie’s work, however, it falls a little short. The meta commentary on the theatre industry and murder mysteries took away from the whodunit aspect of the movie, but that could’ve been the point. It’s a commentary and meant to be humorous and not take itself too seriously. Though it wasn’t as complex as it could’ve been, it was still very entertaining.

Like I mentioned, the ensemble cast worked really well together, especially the leads. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan have great chemistry and comedic timing. Their working relationship is one of mentor and mentee, though at times it’s hard to tell which is which. There were also standout performances from David Oyelowo and Adrien Brody. Shirley Henderson’s Agatha Christie was also a fun ode to the woman herself, and her love of poisons and murder. Almost half the cast were playing real people, though obvious caricatures, but they were nice nods to the original cast of The Mousetrap.

See How They Run was entertaining, though not the most enthralling murder mystery. The humor is sharp and the performances are strong, making up for what it lacks in plot. Still, it’s a fun movie that I’ll probably rewatch at some point, which is enough of a recommendation. 

I’d give See How They Run 7 poisoned tea cups out of 10.