See How They Run – Review
98 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Mark Chappell
Directed by Tom George
**NOTE: this post will be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, enjoy this brief look at Mark’s thoughts. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.
“Don’t jump to conclusions.”
This is perhaps the best advice I can give you going in, though I cribbed it from Sam Rockwell’s Inspector Stoppard, who gave it to Saoirse Ronan’s Constable Stalker early on (and who ignores said advice early and often) in See How They Run.
*It’s fun to see Ronan playing a bit of wacky comedy as opposed to the dramatic comedy she absolutely nailed in Ladybird, btw. She’s got great timing.*
Set in the tradition-rich West End of London during the infinitely long run of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, See How They Run pays homage to theater history, tradition, as well as inventing a great deal of its own.
Don’t worry, though; you don’t have to be steeped in theatrical lore to enjoy See How They Run. I certainly am not, but if you’re a fan of the classic whodunnit’s, Agatha Christie novels, true and comedic takes on such material (such as any Agatha Christie film adaptation, past to present, or the wonderful spoof Murder By Death, heck, even Clue!), you’ll do just fine here.
The cast, as in so many of these types of films, it what makes it work or not, and here it all works.
Rockwell and Ronin’s chemistry as the world-weary Inspector and wide-eyed, enthusiastic Constable is wonderful, and the rest of the cast admirably fills their roles, rounding out the palette of performances required to make this all work. Everyone bites into their respective characters with gusto.
Is it silly? Yes, when it’s supposed to be.
But it’s also a very meta film in some ways, especially once we reach the end. But no, it’s not meta in that pretentious, Christopher Nolan kind of way, but rather in a fun, playful way.
So, if you’re in the mood for a film that harkens back to a simpler cinematic (or theatrical) time, but also features some fun performances, then See How They Run just might be for you.
See How They Run hits theaters on September 16 and stars Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Reece Shearsmith, Charlie Cooper, Lucian Msamati, Pearl Chanda, Sian Clifford, Tim Key, Ruth Wilson, Harris Dickinson, Shirley Henderson, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Paul Chahidi, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Ania Marson, Adrien Brody, and David Oyelowo.
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