By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Director
Tom George (TV's "This Country") and screenwriter
Mark Chappell (TV's "Bliss") pay homage to Agatha Christie--the "Queen of Mysteries"--with
"See How They Run,"a quirky whodunit, set in London's West End during Christie's hit stage production of "The Mousetrap."
Silliness and laughter abound in this star-studded extravaganza. It's 1953 and movie producer Leo Kopernick (a funny Adrien Brody, "Blonde" and TV's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Laker's Dynasty") is in London to catch the stage production of "The Mousetrap." He plans to adapt the play into a Hollywood movie. That's if he and screenwriter Leo Mervyn Cocker-Norris (a very funny David Oyelowo, Upcoming "Sweet Thunder") can put aside their bickering and creative differences.
Leo is a bit difficult to work with and isn't the most beloved director around. So, when he is suddenly murdered, it's shocking, but no one is really mourning his death. Even so, Scotland Yard officer/Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell, "Richard Jewell") and his inexperienced, gung-ho assistant, Constable Stalker (a charming Saoirse Ronan, "The French Dispatch") were assigned by Commissioner Harrold Scott (Tim Key, TV's "The Witchfinder"), to catch the killer.
Like they say, the show must go on.
However, the more the officers investigate, the more they see that everybody, from Agatha Christie (Shirley Henderson, TV's "Tom Jones"), Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson, "Where the Crawdads Sing"), the theatre manager (Ruth Wilson, TV's "His Dark Materials" ), to the wealthy film producer (Reece Shearsmith, TV's "The Witchfinder") and of course his persnickety wife (Sian Clifford, TV's "The Suspect") are all potential suspects.
Who would want to kill Leo and why?
Tracking down the murderer becomes a daunting task. For audiences, the fun of "See How They Run" is figuring out who will crack under pressure and enjoying several of the little factual gems about "The Mousetrap" that are sprinkled throughout the film. Little things like the "The Mousetrap" opened at the Ambassadors theater and that Richard Attenborough and his wife co-starred in the production.
As great as the entire cast is in "See How They Run," it is Ronan, Oyelowo, and Rockwell that shine brightest with their oddball one-liners and physical comedy.
While "See How They Run" is the first big-screen endeavor for TV comedy writers Mark Chappell and Tom George, they clearly have a knack for delivering fun, oddball humor. Hopefully, this dynamic duo will strike again soon.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"SEE HOW THEY RUN"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
