See How They Run

 The Phantom of the Opera will close on Broadway in a little over four months. But not only is that chandelier-hating Phantom staying put on the West End, there's another stage production that's staying put too. That would be The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie's detective story that opened way back in 1952. Christie was so protective of her twist ending that she forbad any film version until the play closed for at least six months. 

But director Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody) is going to try anyway. He doesn't care for the traditional who-dun-it formula, and he especially wants to turn the ending into a dumb action movie one. This riles up writer Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) and producer John Woolf (Reece Shearsmith). As Leo narrates, the first victim of a detective story won't be missed by anyone. He finds out too late that he fits that bill when someone kills him backstage while the show celebrates its 100th performance.

The actual heroes of our story, titled See How They Run, are Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan). They get on the case as they interview everyone connected with the play, including star Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson). They all have plausible motives, but they can't jump to conclusions. The actual murderer reveals himself in due time.

This marks the film debuts of TV director Tom George and TV writer Mark Chappell. The end result is a silly murder mystery romp with some legit twists. The opening scene perfectly fools us into thinking Leo is the protagonist. He still shows up in flashbacks and in a weird dream scene in the second half. Mervyn's testimony has some fun meta-humor as he decries the use of flashbacks in a scene that used them. Stoppard himself becomes a perfectly plausible suspect. The actual killer is, naturally, above suspicion. Their final confrontation perfectly plays out Leo's Hollywood ending.

The cast is fine. Rockwell and Ronan are likeable together as Stoppard and Stalker. He's an alcoholic loser and she's a diligent newcomer. Together, they fight crime! There's not much to them but they give it their all. Their superior, Commissioner Scott (Tim Key), is the best of the bunch for his hilariously skewed priorities. Dickinson as Attenborough is too likable to be a plausible suspect, while Shearsmith as Woolf is perhaps the second most plausible. Shirley Henderson eventually shows up as Christie herself and she proves to be a cool character. The actual killer's confession during the summation is a strong one.

Production Designer Amanda MacArthur and cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsey deserve praise for their recreation of 50s London. Their rendition of St. Martin's Theater is especially striking with its neon palette. Close behind them are editors Gary Dollner and Peter Lambert, whose use of split-screen adds much needed tension. That's especially useful when Stalker catches "Stoppard" in the act and chases him through the theatre. We actually believe it's one chase and not two. There's also some good tension when The Mousetrap personnel are lured into a trap at Christie's mansion. The best of Daniel Pemberton's score features in Stoppard and Stalker's climactic race to the mansion.

See How They Run never played locally during its theatrical run. I had to make do with HBOMax. It's a good way to spend time as you wait for Glass Onion. It's a nice and compact mystery film at just 97 minutes. There's plenty of Christie in-jokes during the whole affair. It's a light affair, but it got me interested in reading more about the actual case that inspired the play. It might spur your interests too.