A police inspector and rookie police constable investigate a murder after the 100th performance of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” in See How They Run. Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) is a sleazy American film director hired by producer John Woolf (Reece Shearsmith) to direct a film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” which just celebrated the 100th performance of its West End production starring Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson). However, Köpernick is found murdered inside the theatre, and Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is called to investigate the case assisted by Woman Police Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan).
See How They Run is a murder mystery comedy by director Tom George. This fictional story is set in 1953 London, shortly after the 100th performance of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.” Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker interview the possible suspects, including playwright Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) and theatre producer Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson). Instructed by his superiors to take Stalker under his wing, Stoppard often has to stop her from repeatedly jumping to conclusions without having all the facts straight.
It can probably be surmised that the success of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, its upcoming sequel Glass Onion, and Kenneth Branagh‘s adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile has reignited an interest in star-studded murder mysteries. Despite being set around the backdrop of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” to this day the longest-running play on London’s West End, See How They Run does come off as a somewhat generic film that is played more for comedy than the whodunnit factor.
The standout performance in the film is undoubtedly Saoirse Ronan as the very overeager Woman Police Constable Stalker, who writes everything down in her notebook, whether or not it is essential to the case. Stalker is a more memorable character in the film than Inspector Stoppard, with Sam Rockwell giving little to no effort at providing a convincing British accent. Harris Dickinson (The King’s Man, Triangle of Sadness) should be applauded for his near spot-on impersonation of late thespian Richard Attenborough.
Ironically, See How They Run is probably the closest thing we will ever get to a film adaptation of “The Mousetrap,” which truly was pegged for an adaptation in the late-1950s. See How They Run ends up staging its over-the-top climax and the estate of Agatha Christie, played briefly on screen by Scottish character actor Shirley Henderson.
While See How They Run isn’t that memorable of a murder mystery, the film ultimately still has its moments.