Agatha Christie's well-known stage murder mystery, The Mousetrap, has never been turned into a movie. Christie stipulated that the movie could only be made six months after the play's West End run was completed when she gave producer John Woolf the film rights. That has still not happened. The Mousetrap is still running 70 years after it first debuted in 1952, making it the longest-running play in history. Therefore, the movie was never made.
See How They Run, a fun little meta-whodunit steeped in London theatre culture, uses that bit of knowledge as a plot hook. It also tells the history of how the movie came to be.
The ensemble gathers for a celebration on the occasion of The Mousetrap's 100th performance — in the real world, it has since been performed more than 27,500 times — under the direction of Richard "Dickie" Attenborough (Harris Dickinson). The evil, blacklisted Hollywood director Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody), whom film producer Woolf (Reece Shearsmith) has engaged to make the movie version of the play, is also present. David Oyelowo's snobby dramatist Mervyn Cocker-Norris is also given the assignment to write the script. Meanwhile, theatre mogul Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson) broods in the background.
For a variety of reasons, everyone's a little agitated, and Kopernick and Attenborough argue. Kopernick at the end of the night, ends up on the stage, dead.
Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell), a jaded functioning alcoholic, has been teamed up with awkward but determined new hire Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) to crack the case. They receive no assistance because the rest of the murder squad is preoccupied with the more horrific and actual Rillington Place killings. This theatre murdering isn't much fun compared to those.
One of the main delights of See How They Run is the humour and double-sided delicacy of this particular element. Which highlights the proceedings' harmless frivolity while grounding them in reality. Trying to identify the murderer is less entertaining than trying to determine which figures are parodies of actual people and which are fanciful imaginations.
A few cameo appearances at the end of the movie tap into this twisted reality for a hilarious, audacious payoff. Similar themes are explored in the production design, which creates a heightened, flashy 1950s London with a surprisingly real touch.
This film could be considered both a comedy and a mystery film. However, it doesn't quite nail either form. Although, it works better as a straight-up comedy than a murder mystery. The script by Chappell is full of funny jabs, hurtful jokes, and subtly criticising characterisation. George is an experienced British TV comedy director who knows how to set up and finish jokes. It has a steady rhythm, and scenes occasionally coast for too long in a hazy vacuum in between jokes.
As the endearingly sincere Stalker, Ronan executes her comedic lines with impeccable timing and consistently gets the greatest laughs without ever deviating from her character. When put in Ronan's hands, Stalker's gullible naiveté transforms from a joke into an endearing type of heroism. She records down everything everyone says and thinks the investigation is solved after every interview.
This is a classic buddy-cop fare to contrast Ronan's vivacity with Rockwell's cynical, mumbling Stoppard. However, Rockwell's amusingly understated performance nicely balances Ronan's. Stoppard is strangely hilarious for playing such a stern straight guy, simply shrugging off the antics going on around him.
Dickinson's portrayal of Attenborough is hilarious and satirises a particular brand of polite leading-man conceit. The supporting ensemble is composed of a high-profile cast of British TV and theatre veterans, including Shirley Henderson from Harry Potter, Lucian Msamati from Game of Thrones, Sian Clifford from Fleabag, Tim Key from several Alan Partridge ventures, and Lucian Msamati from Game of Thrones.
The film was surprisingly more enjoyable and humorous than I expected it to be. The cast does a fabulous job of keeping us entertained. Also what is more impressive, is that this film was filmed during the lockdowns in the UK. On the whole,, this film is clever, with a lot of foreshadowing that you could easily miss. While also, mocking the play itself.
There have been a lot of Agatha Christie adaptations over the years, this is one of the better Christie adaptations we have received. In particular as we can’t expect a real Mousetrap adaptation any time soon, as the theatre play continues to be performed night after night. This film is a right laugh, and will brighten your day.
Performance | 4.5/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.8/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.7/5 |