Premise
On the night of the 100th showing of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” a director (Adrien Brody) who hopes to make it into a film is murdered. Jaded Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is joined by the unexperienced but enthusiastic Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) to investigate the cast and crew who seem untroubled by the loss of the unlikeable victim.
Characters Versus Plot
Although an original whodunit, “See How They Run” is made to exist in our world with historic characters like Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson) and Sheila Sim (Pearl Chanda)—the original stars of Christie’s famous play. The film is filled with genre references sure to crack frequent smiles and chuckles. The dialogue and style are quick and witty, always aware of the audience’s awareness. It was very meta and used what could be predictable to their advantage. There are a couple of very clever scenes that make for an enjoyable watch.
I loved all the individual interactions accompanied by perfect tone setting tunes. Each scene was filled with rich characterization and these actors absolutely killed it in every moment. Saoirse Ronan was especially fun to watch every time she was on screen, and she had an arc that was fun to follow. She and Sam Rockwell played off each other well, and I would love to see them together again. Just in general, I would love to see a sequel or some other film with this cast because they were all so delightful.
As far as the main mystery goes, I found it lacking. They were rushing through the investigation without letting me grow suspicious of anyone for too long. The ending also felt unsatisfying. Not because of the murderer reveal, but because it didn’t feel entirely earned.
I did like the moments earlier on that somewhat spoiled the ending, but once everything came about, I wasn’t impressed. They didn’t commit to some fake outs like I hoped. Furthermore, by the time I reached the end, I was tired of all the split screens and awkward headspace shots. The film’s focus on being quick and stylish worked more with the dialogue than with the mise en scene and cinematography.
All in all, we have a mediocre mystery plot with amazing execution; I prefer that far more than the other way around in this genre. Some may enjoy the mystery more than I did. I haven’t seen “The Mousetrap,” so that might have influenced my experience. However, even if you agree with my take, I still suspect you won’t regret seeing this one since it provides a fun night out.
Parent’s Guide: PG-13
This movie was relatively clean with minor language and no sexual content, which was very surprising for a PG-13. There are references to affairs but no overly romantic scenes. The only reason for the higher rating is that you see two murders play out. Those scenes aren’t graphic, but the victim in the beginning is put on a stage with blood all over him when the police find him. There is plenty of suspense, but the overall mood is mostly lighthearted and family friendly.