A group of mostly strangers. An invite to a beautiful estate hours from the city centre. A storm which strands our group for the foreseeable future. A murder. The surprise visit from our detective hero soon after. Vignettes and character studies, puzzle pieces strewn across the mind of the viewer. A false accusation which in turn leads to the villainous reveal and a heroic struggle for justice. We lose someone, but in the end we’ve captured the killer. Fin. Now this isn’t See How They Run, but…it’s not far off.
If that sounds familiar, then you may have seen or read more than one murder mystery. Buckle up, because as with See How They Run, you’ll be seeing a whole lot more.
Check out the trailer for See How They Run before we go any further.
Official Trailer from Searchlight Pictures
See How They Run, Like Pigs from a Gun
My lyrical brain can’t help but hear the title of this movie in the voices of The Beatles, with both “Lady Madonna” and “I Am The Walrus” using the “see how they run” line. Sadly, at least for me, neither song made it into the film. Gladly though, the film made a little more sense than “I Am The Walrus.”
With a runtime of just 98 minutes, See How They Run is an enjoyable, perfectly-paced murder mystery worth your trip to see it on the big screen. You’ll get to see all the stars, enjoy the wide-range of colors (or colours for the folks across the pond), and put your phone away as you get wrapped up in the whodunnit set in 1950’s London. There are twists, turns, misdirects, and mischief that’ll keep you smiling and guessing the whole time. Is this my favorite film of the year? No, but it didn’t have to be.
in the film See How They Run (2022).
Everyone is going to compare See How They Run to Knives Out, but that’s a flawed approach. I would argue that Knives Out is a modern take on the Agatha Christie novels and plays of yesteryear, with a nice spin and take on the genre. See How They Run is centred on the Agatha Christie play on the West End, The Mousetrap, and a murder involving the author and her play directly. The Mousetrap is actually the longest-running play on the West End, running continuously from 1952 until the pandemic shut down things in March 2020. Luckily for audiences, and See How They Run, the play continued in 2021 once things opened back up. In a way, the movie will reignite interest in the play and the hope would be that the inverse is true as well.
See How They Cash In
Looking at the financials of Knives Out, with its worldwide box office gross of $311 million, and 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, with its $352 million, it’s easy to see why See How They Run was greenlit. This is the Hollywood cycle though, isn’t it? You see one hit…you lie in wait. You see a second, and its time to greenlight those scripts that have sat on the top of the pile for years. Why? Because it’s TRENDING and that means there’s MONEY to be made. And who doesn’t love to make decisions based on money? Just ask David Zaslav. Little matters more to a studio head than the bottom line.
Now, without getting *too* cynical, I’ll say that this is honestly a good thing at times. Years back it was zombie flicks and disasters movies, and while we get a couple each year, the constant stream has trickled off. My take that will join the numerous others following See How They Run? Murder mysteries are hot, and not just for Rian Johnson and his massive Netflix deal. Time for everyone to get in on the genre. As the first non-Death on the ___ film or Knives Out sequel to hit theaters, See How They Run will prove to be a good litmus test for the genre in the hands of newer directors and screenwriters.
Directing a Derivative?
First announced in November 2020, See How They Run is helmed by first-time feature director Tom George. George, best known for his British comedy This Country (2017-20) about young Brits living in more rural parts of the country, brings London to life on the big screen. Other than that series, a few episodes of Defending the Guilty, and some BBC Awards shows, George doesn’t have many credits to his name.
This film shows off his directing chops but it is also a wincing acknowledgment of first-time directing woes. George has moments, shots, and scenes that shine bright and get you excited for what he does next. Other scenes, and this is much of how the film is shot, seem a little reminiscent of a film school grad who obsessed over Wes Anderson’s style. There’s no shortage of videos and articles focused on Anderson’s vision and how he brings it to the screen.
“But, but…droves of directors copied Tarantino’s style following the successes of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, didn’t they?”
Yes, but I’m not looking to watch 30 movies with whip pans, wide shots with a few characters dotting a nice matte backdrop, or quick cuts between monotonous lines and cheeky humor. That is one gripe I have, don’t let this be a Wes Anderson-meets-Agatha Christie movie, it should have shone bright as a Tom George movie. But hey, I’m excited for his next outing to see if he does more to showcase his own style.
“Sign My Cast” – Tom George, and anyone who’s broken a bone
In other words, See How They Run brought quality actors and performers for a fraction of the budget of Knives Out. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan lead the cast as the detectives assigned to the case. The opening is narrated by and focuses on Adrien Brody as play director Tom Kopernick before his untimely murder at the playhouse. I won’t give away any plot details or spoilers, but it gets fun.
But that doesn’t make this cast anything less than talented and classy.
Tom George and company did a great job with the casting. David Oyelowo, Shirley Henderson, Sian Clifford, Ruth Wilson, Harris Dickinson, Reece Shearsmith, to name a few, all show up in their respective roles and performances. At times, it feels like the cast doesn’t love the script they’re performing onscreen…though they do so with professionalism. Hard to explain, but maybe you’ll see it and it’ll click. Rockwell in particular, who I’m a huge fan of, seems to be acting as directed and not to the top of his abilities. It’s nit-picky I know, but it felt once again like a freshman director whose cast was a little out of his league. Still fun, still good, but there was something lacking.
Curtains Close
Final take? I liked it, but didn’t love it. This Searchlight/Walt Disney distributed flick will be a fun murder mystery for those who enjoy Agatha Christie, Rockwell or Ronan, or all things British. Get in your Mini, grab some tea biscuits or a Wispa bar, and head to the theaters. You’ll have a good time and leave before your tailbone hurts (Dune, I’m looking at you).
And best of all? See How They Run comes out in a time when the theaters have turned to re-releases and re-re-releases to bring audiences back. It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s fun enough to be your movie this weekend. Go see it, tell us what you thought of it!
Please excuse the puns and go see it this weekend.
Have you been to see Jordan Peele’s recent thriller Nope? If your answer’s the title of the film, or if you want to read more about it, check out our article on it here!
Want to solve another cinematic mystery? How about you find out why The Bad Guys was the animated surprise hit of the year.