See How They Run centers on a seedy American film director of the '50s who is trying to make a movie version of a stage play.
Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and Police Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan), work together to solve the director's murder in this Agatha Christie–inspired whodunit. This comedic mystery has its funny moments, but it never quite succeeds as the sharp and humorous whodunit wants to be.
Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) narrates the opening sequence and gives some background on the structure of a whodunit. The adage "once you've seen one, you've seen them all" applies here. An unlikable protagonist dies early on. Several people are trapped in the same location. A shadowy detective interrogates them all, taking several incorrect roads before finally identifying the perpetrator.
The film's opening sequence is reminiscent of the beginning of a traditional whodunit. For a while, you may assume that you're in for something along the lines of Clue (1984).
This is not the case in See How They Run. This movie has a meta quality that makes me think of Scream. It's clear that the filmmakers behind these films are familiar with the conventions of the genre. A significant plot point of the film is that the primary suspects are all whodunit actors. They are playing the lead roles in a theatrical adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery. They've seen it all before, so to speak. While the film should have capitalized more on the comedy setups, it works brilliantly whenever it does.
The direction is quite stylish. Tom George masterfully employs split-screen techniques throughout the film, and his buoyant, humorous direction keeps things moving along. However, the core of this whodunit is undermined by a major error. It's interesting to see films in this genre because there's always a sense of mystery about who the killer or next victim might be within the constricted cast of people. In contrast, the protagonists in See How They Run are a detective and a constable who randomly approach people in various settings and interrogate them.
It's hard to get into the tale when there are so many characters. In addition, after the killer's initial appearance in the opening scene, we don't see them again for a long time. The absence of a credible killer prevents you from feeling any sense of urgency on behalf of the characters. Long stretches without a killer are in whodunits like "Knives Out" and "Bodies Bodies Bodies". But this film's plot isn't compelling enough to carry an uninteresting third act.
See Also: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Movie Review
The film's meta-comedy is inconsistent throughout the second act, which is a major flaw. The film benefits greatly from its willingness to be similar to the works of Agatha Christie, but it is not the best mystery film you'll ever see. See How They Run has some funny moments, mainly because of Ronan's brilliantly understated acting, but it never quite reaches its potential. The movie's lack of emotional weight ultimately works against it, as the closing payoff is as predictable as they come. This may be the weakest of the several whodunits out this year.
See How They Run is available for streaming on HBOMax.
