See How They Run

Murder mysteries are big business. Just check the Knives Out franchise or any Agatha Christie adaptation as proof. Now we can add See How They Run to the list, but how does it measure up?

What Is See How They Run About?

It's 1953 in London, and Christie's smash hit play, The Mousetrap, is celebrating its 100th performance. Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) is an American director who is tasked with turning the play into a movie.

But Kopernick is not a well-liked man, and within a few minutes, finds himself drunk and in a brawl at the after-party. Soon after that, he is murdered, and it is now up to the world weary Detective Stoppard (Sam Rockwell, Mr Right) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) to solve the crime.

In the mix of suspects are the west end theatre owner Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson), the producer John Woolf who owns the film rights (Reece Shearsmith), script writer Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) and the stage actors including Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson).

So who killed Leo Kopernick? Lots of information is presented as to why each of the suspects could have done it. We discover that the producer can only make a movie when the theatre run has finished, so he needs the play to end.

It transpires that Kopernick and Mervyn did not get on with huge arguments over the script for the film. At one point, Kopernick even suggests his own ending to the murder mystery. But it's dismissed as being confusing and not in keeping with the style of the film.

We know that each person had a motive but who hated him enough to kill him?

As Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into the puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground.

See How They Run Official Trailer

Is See How They Run Worth Watching?

I had high hopes for this murder mystery, not least because of the incredible cast. And to be fair, they are all excellent in their roles.

The script is packed with funny gags and deliberate cliches, so there is a lot of fun to be had. In fact, it's definitely more of a comedy than a serious crime drama.

Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell are superb, with Ronan, in particular, the film's standout.

And all of that is great if the actual plot of the film – the murder mystery itself, made any sense. What we get instead is a bit messy and confusing. It's almost like director Tom George tried to be too clever.

Without giving away the ending, the solving of the murder is almost incidental to the film's twist. The problem is that the twist isn't surprising or as impressive as it should be. And if you're paying attention, you can see it coming from a mile away.

Does that make it a bad film? No. But it does spoil the fun of it a little. It's not the worst way to spend an hour and a half because it is funny. Just don't expect too much from it.

Where To Watch See How They Run

Initially, the movie was released in cinemas in September 2022.

But with the theatre run now over, you can watch See How They Run on Disney+ in the UK and on HBO Max in the United States.

See How They Run Movie Cast

Sam Rockwell as Inspector Stoppard

Saoirse Ronan as Constable Stalker

Adrien Brody as Leo Köpernick

Ruth Wilson as Petula Spencer

Reece Shearsmith as John Woolf

Harris Dickinson as Richard Attenborough, who was the original actor in the stage performance

Charlie Cooper as Dennis Corrigan

David Oyelowo as Mervyn Cocker-Norris

Shirley Henderson as Agatha Christie

Lucian Msamati as Max Mallowan

Pippa Bennett-Warner as Ann Saville

Pearl Chanda as Sheila Sim

Paul Chahidi as Fellowes

Sian Clifford as Edana Romney

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Gio

Tim Key as Commissioner Harold Scott