Movie Review: See How They Run

 

I do love a good murder mystery story. There's something so compelling about a whodunnit with it's clever setup and charismatic cast of characters. See How They Run is a very fun example of this genre which utilises all it's core strengths to produce a genuinely intriguing murder mystery with some excellent performances to support it. 

The story of See How They Run follows a murder of a american director who was overseeing the production of a film adaption of a famous Agatha Christie theatre production called the Mousetrap. Scotland Yard sends out Inspector Stoppard to investigate the murder and is assigned Constable Stalker to shadow him during the case. Together the duo interview many of the people associated with the director and the production to try and ascertain who the true culprit may be before they can strike again. 

The thing I liked about the narrative of this film is it never takes itself too seriously. It's quite metatextual in a lot of ways, being very self aware of the premise but never in a way that destroys the illusion. It's narrative seeks to analyse the concept of a murder mystery within the confines of it's own plot while also being a murder mystery in itself; it's layered in all the best ways and never for one minute loses momentum. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between all of the cast of this film. From what I'm aware of, the Mousetrap and it's cast was a real production and the film chooses to play fictional versions of some real life people from the period and play. I love how much everyone sinks into these roles, especially Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan who have such funny dialogue with one another.

According to my online research, the director for this film; Tom George is a relatively new face into the motion picture landscape. With only a few minor credits directing and writing for TV it's really impressive how competent George's directorial style comes off in his very first motion picture. One thing that really stood out to me was the films cinematography and scene structure. Jamie D. Ramsay is the noted cinematographer of the film and the way he angles a lot of the scenes helps to bottle the sequences within the confines of the camera in a way very similar to a Wes Anderson film. It's done in a way which it doesn't feel duplicitous too, it manages to keep its core style consistent all the way through.

See How They Run on a whole is another great addition to the murder mystery genre. Does it redefine the landscape? No, but I don't really think that was this films intention. It's simply out to tell a quirky and clever story within the genre in a way that feels original. It's exudes confidence at every turn with a sharp narrative, fantastic cast and inviting film style that cements it as far from an ordinary murder mystery film.