Tom George’s “See How They Run”

See How They Run (2022)

Enjoyable, theatrical whodunnit built around Agatha Christie’s long running stageplay The Moustrap(which it doesn’t spoil) is a playful romp led by pitch perfect performances from Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan

At the centre of this goofy but fun murder mystery caper is a great chemistry between Sam Rockwell’s seasoned Inspector Stoppard and Saoirse Ronan’s eager Constable Stalker hoping to pass the sergeant’s exam. As the cast and crew celebrate the 100th performance of Agatha' Christie’s The Mousetrap in 1952, brash American movie exec Leo Köpernick(Adrien Brody) is trying to get the play adapted into a commercially distorted vision of Christie’s work, much to the consternation of celebrated writer Mervyn Cocker-Norris(David Oyelowo). From there, the film moves along at a nice pace with its campy and screwball antics splitting into several lines of enquiry among a colourful cast of characters.

Having seen The Mousetrap in London’s West End which ends with a plea to the audience not to share the identity of the murderer, I was relieved that this wasn’t revealed in the film. For those who have seen it, there are some nice in-jokes, one example being Köpernick’s assumption that all whodunnits are essentially the same before admitting he hasn’t actually seen The Mousetrap.

Overall, it’s a light, fun pastiche that knows what it is and is a delightful distraction with plenty of wit.