Back in 2017, an adaptation of Murder On the Orient Express probably brought with its success some renewed interest in the ‘whodunit’ genre. This carried on with a modern story with all the tropes intact in 2019’s Knives Out and 2021’s Death On The Nile. Now it’s time for the genre to be sent up in an affectionate parody which is the best way I can describe See How They Run.
Set in 1950s London in the middle of a party celebrating the success of the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap, among the guests is Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) who narrates the film. He talks about some of the genre’s main tropes and how he wants to make a film adaptation of the play, but it’s not too long before he dies at the hands of an unknown murderer. Of course the play is now in danger and people want to find the killer as quickly as possible, so in true whodunit fashion a detective is assigned to the case, a war veteran and alcoholic named Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell). He is partnered with the younger, eager and theatre-loving Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan). They have to learn how to work together, solve the case and find the killer before they end up like the previous victims.
I’m well aware that Rockwell is and American actor and I’m not sure what nationality his character is meant to be. But he does well enough with the material he’s given and has believable chemistry with Ronan, who initially plays up the ambitious aspect of her character, is clearly enjoying doing so and can even deliver a distasteful line and make it appear comically convincing.
Another familiar aspect of the whodunnit genre is on display here, namely the all-star cast. It’s nothing new but as well as the two main leads and Brody, the supporting cast includes accomplished actors such as Reece Shearsmith, Ruth Wilson, Harris Dickinson, David Oyelowo, Tim Key and Shirley Henderson. Most of them don’t have much to do – apart from Dickinson who plays a young Richard Attenborough competently enough. Attenborough is included as he was one of the first people to play a role in The Mousetrap in real life – a small nod to history but a welcome one. A lot of the roles are clichéd in themselves but in the end it comes down to how well they can be played, and as far as I can tell, those involved do their best. I was actually a little surprised at how effortlessly Oyelowo played his role as a pretentious writer.
At the beginning of this review I said this film felt like an affectionate parody and Tom George’s script illustrates that point. It knowingly contains nearly everything the genre is known for – talking to each suspect one by one, another person gets killed to both prove they are not the murderer, raising tension and keeping the audience on their toes, not forgetting a climax where everyone is gathered in one room and (I hope this isn’t too much of a spoiler) the way everything ends is more or less foreshadowed.
The main plot point may be a murder but it also has elements of comedy and is often somewhat light-hearted. There are moments where things do feel tense but the feeling of humour never or rarely goes away. Oyelowo’s character even speaks of his distaste for flashbacks right at the moment when one is happening onscreen. That is the sense of humour this film has and I didn’t have any problem with it.
The look and feel of the 1950s has been admirably recreated. A lot of what was around then is long gone, but what I noticed especially was the way certain locations and rooms are designed like old theatres and police offices. It may not be particularly realistic, as nothing here is meant to be taken too seriously, but the effort made achieve a period feel is appreciated. There is even a short scene on an old-looking studio lot, which is something I’m sure film fans like me will enjoy, as well as a mention of Alfred Hitchcock.
Films like this give hope that the whodunnit genre can still thrive and feel relevant nowadays and I think this can only be a good thing. Another old crime genre that Christie is associated with is so-called ‘Cosy Crime’ but for the moment Richard Osman seems to be covering this with his new novels. But a Knives Out sequel is on the horizon and – although it’s just talk at the moment – another Christie adaption could be on the way. For the moment I think the whodunit genre is perfectly safe and See How They Run only furthers that idea. It may not be everyone’s taste but it was a good way to spend an hour and half and it also proves the whodunit genre is in no danger of being murdered, for now…
