“It’s a whodunit; you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all.”
Thus, says fictional director Leo Kopernick in the thoroughly entertaining new mystery “See How They Run.”
Though Leo makes this statement in a film that takes place 69 years ago, it’s a little misleading. “See How They Run” is by no means the sort of twisty, one-step-ahead-of-you thriller that’s become de rigueur for mysteries these days; but it is unique, and I simply loved it.
A potent mix of nostalgia, crime, comedy, and casting — with just a hint of romance — “See How They Run” won me over so completely that I can hardly wait to see it again.
Set in 1950s London, the movie stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as, respectively, a world-weary Scotland Yard detective and his fresh-faced, overeager trainee; together, they investigate a backstage murder that occurred right after a live performance of Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap.”
It seems someone didn’t want Kopernick to proceed with his planned film adaptation of the popular drama. But … whodunit?
Was it the movie’s writer, with whom Leo had recently quarreled? Was it the play’s producer, on whom Leo has some serious dirt? Or was it something even more insidious involving one of the officers on the case?
I was initially drawn to this film by Rockwell, one of my favorite actors; but in the end, it was Ronan who stole my heart away. Oscar-nominated young veteran of such lauded films as “Atonement,” “Lady Bird,” “Brooklyn” and “Little Women,” Ronan here plays the engaging Constable Stalker, who blends meticulous attention to detail with comically guileless enthusiasm. Several times Rockwell’s more experienced Det. Stoppard must insist that she not jump to conclusions — yet she’s no dummy: With her difficult home-life as a single mom coming slowly into focus, we can see that this no-nonsense, working-class background is a fine counterbalance to Stoppard’s hard-drinking cynicism — that, in fact, they perfectly complement one another as detectives. More important, each also begins to fill an empty space in the other’s lonely life.
Though Rockwell is terrific, I could have watched Ronan forever; even her simple act of sampling a lousy cup of tea is wondrous to behold.
The excellent cast also includes Adrien Brody; Ruth Wilson; David Oyelowo; Paul Chahidi as a sour-faced butler; and the redoubtable Shirley Henderson as a delightful late-film surprise that I won’t spoil.
The ultimate solution to the mystery is smart and unexpected; yet the movie never tries too hard. With its quiet comedy and low-key romance, at times it’s a throwback to the genre’s golden age; and this feeling is greatly aided by nostalgic tunes and terrific period detail.
The movie also boasts a network of subtle puns and allusions — a few involving “Hamlet,” from which “The Mousetrap” got its name. One other cool example is the title, which ties various plot-strands to the rodents in “Three Blind Mice” and to the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” (stockings and single moms figure in the story).
So contrary to what Kopernick claims about whodunits, you haven’t seen ’em all till you’ve seen this one.
Showing at Lewisburg’s Campus Theatre on Oct. 8, 9 and 13, it will then begin streaming Oct. 26.
