Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard and eager rookie Constable Stalker take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.
See How They Run is a self-aware, meta whodunit that winks knowingly at Agatha Christie conventions while set in the world of her own stage production. The ensemble cast — particularly Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan — is a genuine highlight, delivering charming chemistry and comic timing that elevates the material. The production design and costumes evoke the 1950s West End atmosphere with style. However, the meta-comedic framing (a character literally explaining whodunit tropes) is more clever than genuinely inventive, and the film doesn't push its self-referential premise as far as it could. The plot is serviceable but never truly surprising, and the resolution lands with a mild thud rather than a satisfying snap — the ending feels deflated compared to the energy built up. Novelty sits in the middle: it has a distinctive voice but occupies well-trodden Christie-pastiche territory that films like Knives Out have recently mastered more effectively.