REELING

An Amusing Whodunit

BETTY JO TUCKER

Pueblo award winning film critic

SEE HOW

THEY RUN takes place mostly in a London theatre back in the 1950s where “The Mousetrap,” a play based on Agatha Christie’s novel, is celebrating its 100th performance. The showbiz folks are excited because this play may be made into a movie version. When a murder occurs, lots of suspects join the list. This creates an atmosphere of suspense while Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) add bits of humor that kept me interested right up to the end.

Rockwell (3 Billboards Outside Billings, Missouri) and Ronan (Little Women) make an awkward but watchable team as these two characters. Stoppard wants to work alone and on his time schedule, which includes stops at a bar and frequent car naps. Stalker wants to keep busy taking notes and seems to know more about police business and popular movie stars than almost anyone. Together they are the heart of this amusing whodunit.

I love a good old mystery like those by Agatha Christie. And now a movie makes some fun about a play from what she’s done.

“See How They Run” features a cast of actors acting they’re aghast when someone gets killed during play. Will lazy Inspector save the day?

He has a new Constable now. Saoirse Ronan, please take a bow. She steals this film and makes us smile.

I’ve put her in my Awards file.

No loud laughter while watching this. Yet there are scenes you shouldn’t miss.

In some of these scenes, Oscar®-winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) shows us his acting chops are still first-rate. He portrays Leo, the director who tries to get “The Mousetrap” from stage to screen. Unfortunately, he and the writer (David Oyelowo/Selma) clash over creative differences. Showing his versatility, Brody also serves as the movie’s narrator and murder victim. I have to confess that this is the first time I noticed Brody’s impressive voice!

Although I don’t usually enjoy so many flashbacks, this movie needed them and uses them well. Kudos to cinematographer

Jamie.Ramsay (Living) for making sure we see what’s happening and not throwing in so many dark scenes we want to scream. Also, period costumes by Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Brooklyn) are just right.

Congratulations to director Tom George (This Country) and writer Mark Chappell (Bliss) for doing a great job of including Agatha Christie’s “gathering of the suspects” toward the end of the story. They also deserve thanks for adding their own creativity to that part of See How They Run.

And finally, as an avid Christie fan, I think she must be smiling wherever she is now.

(Released by Searchlight Pictures and streaming on HBO Max. Rated “PG-13” by MPAA.)