See How They Run

If I hadn’t checked the credits, I might have thought this sprightly comedy mystery was directed by Wes Anderson. See How They Run is a meticulous ensemble piece featuring exquisite set design and the retro fashions of another era. It is, in fact, the feature film debut of Tom George, a British television director (This Country, Defending the Guilty).

This loving creation is a sendup of the Agatha Christie murder mystery. The setting is London in 1953, and it features Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell), who has been assigned to solve a homicide. In a nod to meta exposition, the crime occurs after the 100th performance of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at a West End theater. Also accompanying him is an inexperienced helper, Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan). The victim is an unlikeable movie director Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody). He didn’t have a lot of friends, so everyone surrounding the play is a suspect.

A lighthearted romp…that just so happens to involve murder. Per tradition, audiences are asked not to reveal the killer’s identity to anyone who hasn’t seen The Mousetrap play. Likewise, I would never spoil a film either, but whodunnit in See How They Run is unimportant. This is simply an excuse to get a spirited cast together for amusing conversations and funny situations. Director Tom George and screenwriter Mark Chappell clearly admire Wes Anderson. I’m also a big fan, though I dare say this surpasses Anderson’s last picture, The French Dispatch. It’s light and breezy without being fussy. The developments all whiz by in a scant 98 minutes. Like this review, it’s fast.

09-15-22