About the film (courtesy of Searchlight Pictures):
In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after the film’s Hollywood director is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.
See How They Run tries to be the best parts of Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and Clue (1985), but instead ends up on par with the mediocre parts of Murder Mystery (2019). The Tom George directed comedy mystery had me asking a very good question regarding his attempt at bringing forth another whodunit, whowantedit?! Let’s briefly take about this supposed greatest murder ever staged.
Featuring the likes of Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo and Adrien Brody, director Tom George surrounds himself with a talented group of actors. See How They Run looks to have a potent roster on tap to give moviegoers an entertaining 90 minute+ escape in the cinemas. And in the beginning stanza, one might think that’s exactly where this feature is headed. By poking fun at itself from the very beginning and the obvious trends that it’ll mostly follow as the story unfolds, audiences should feel less eager to be critical of the same old clichés as this offering is quite self-aware of what it is.
The problem with See How They Run is that the comedy doesn’t do enough to compliment the mystery and vice versa. There are absolutely moments of comedy, but the mystery portion feels like an uninspired afterthought at times. The balance or meshing of the two genres just feels forced. The plot isn’t terrible or anything near that level. It’s just that there’s not enough to hook viewers to really care who committed the crime and there are not enough laughs to keep you distracted or engaged until the big clue is dropped.
While not quite ready for prime time, center stage viewing, See How They Run should provide adequate enjoyment to keep you from being completely disappointed. It’s just that there are other similar movies out there from the last few years that do a much better job entertaining and intriguing viewers. Maybe somewhere like the Hulu streaming service would have been a better home for this selection from the start.
If you’ve still got a hankering for a bit of a simpler throwback type of film and just want something easy to digest while not spending an eternity at the theater, See How They Run might just give you all that you need. You can check this one out in theaters Friday, September 16, with early showings Thursday evening.
