Ti West’s X is one of the best, and one of my favorite, movies from this year. One of the things it did so well that helped set itself apart was how self-aware and self-referential it was. That can be a very tricky angle to manage. Do it wrong and it comes off as clumsy, and disrupts the flow of the movie. But if done well – and West did it very well – it can add a whole other element that helps put it a step or two above similar movies. While you won’t find too many similarities between X and See How They Run, Tom George’s feature directorial debut, this is the strongest (maybe only?) parallel the two share.
See How They Run is a classic whodunit, almost literally. It takes place in London’s West End, 1953, centered around Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” preparing to celebrate its 100th performance. Adrian Brody plays American film director Leo Köpernick, who wants to purchase the film rights to “The Mousetrap.” Köpernick details to the audience how he wants to make a murder mystery unlike the countless others that have come before.
He wants his movie to open with a murder (just like See How They Run does) and he wants the victim to be the film’s most unlikeable character (which turns out to be Köpernick). So right off the bat, we have a character telling us what he wants to happen in his movie just before it happens in See How They Run. For some, it might seem too clever by half. But the movie never takes itself too seriously, and as a result the in-jokes feel right in step with the tone of the rest of the movie.
That tone reads like a wannabe-Wes Anderson movie, which I mean that in a good way. It’s light and silly and goofy, with outstanding production and costume design. And it has a terrific ensemble cast, a staple of any Wes Anderson film.
Leading the cast are Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker, who head up the investigation of Köpernick’s murder. With Köpernick ticking off and otherwise annoying nearly everyone he was doing business with, the suspects are endless. Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo, and Harris Dickinson are the bigger, more recognizable names. But there’s no weak link in the bunch.
However, having so many talented actors crammed into a 100 minute movie is a problem. Think about Knives Out. Stacked ensemble cast in a murder mystery. But with a 2 hour runtime, it gave the characters and story more time to breath. Some shined more than others, but everyone had their moment. That’s not the case in See How They Run. Ronan and Rockwell get the bulk of the screen time, and they’re terrific together. They have an easy chemistry, with fun banter back and forth. The distinct differences in their personalities and approaches to the case provide most of the funnier bits. But the rest of the cast gets hung out to dry a little bit. That’s not to say they’re a detriment to the movie. It just would have been better to give a couple of the other more than capable performers a little juicier material.
While it’s a breezy, enjoyable watch, See How They Run, never ventures into the “great” territory. It’s funny but not hilarious. It’s smart and twisty but not entirely unpredictable. But being “very solid” instead of “truly great” is nothing to scoff at. While there are plenty of “better” movies to have come out so far, See How They Run still manages to set itself apart as one of the more fun watches for this year.
Score: 85/100
