Having enjoyed an uninterrupted run from 1952 until the Covid-19 pandemic forced its temporary closure in March 2020, The Mousetrap is a London institution, as much as beefeaters or Paddington Bear. While it’s Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple that have tended to dominate film and television adaptations, The Mousetrap provides the inspiration for Mark Chappell’s See How They Run, directed by Tom George. This period mystery-comedy also draws on the work of Wes Anderson, and indeed stars two of his recurring collaborators in Saoirse Ronan and Adrien Brody.
Murder most foul afflicts an affluent group of London luvvies, who have come together as The Mousetrap – celebrating its 100th performance – prepares to move from stage to screen. Blacklisted by Hollywood due to his Jewish identity, Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody) is tasked with directing the film version of The Mousetrap, but can’t come to an agreement on the script with pretentious screenwriter Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo). After a bust-up with Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson) at the reception held for the show’s 100th performance, Köpernick turns up dead, and it’s up to the beleagured Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and his eager new partner Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) to crack the case.
This starry cast is rounded out by a few more familiar faces – there’s Ruth Wilson (playing a taciturn theatre owner), Reece Shearsmith (the film producer trying to keep it all together), Charlie Cooper (the put-upon theatre usher) and a few other stars whose presence will be omitted here per the twee instructions of Sam Rockwell’s character to “keep the mystery alive” – a direct plea to the audience at the end of the film. The fact the screenwriter felt it necessary to instruct the audience to not spoil the plot suggests a dire lack of faith in the cinema-going public, which is perhaps a sign of the times.
Nevertheless, the grating tone of See How They Run extends far beyond its ending. The film is a fairly rote murder mystery, and its comedy feels in keeping with its 1950s setting – that is to say, outdated and boorish. Rockwell appears to be sleepwalking through the script, while Ronan does her best with a thinly sketched, bumbling character. She might have a great affinity for comedy, but it’s wasted in this lacklustre excuse for a crime caper.
Failing to capture the wit or intelligence of Christie, See How They Run instead relies on tired stereotypes about women and gay men, and in an ensemble full of talented actors, there’s barely a compelling performance to be found. Dickinson’s Dickie Attenborough impression is amusing, but it feels misplaced in a film where most of the other characters are completely fictional. This is a grab bag of literary and cinematic references, and fails to be as compelling or charming as any of them.
ANTICIPATION.
Wow, what a cast! 4
ENJOYMENT.
What? That cast? 2
IN RETROSPECT.
Whodunnit? Who cares? 2
Directed by
Mark Chappell
Starring
Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, Adrien Brody
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