Movie Review: See How They Run

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really fun whodunit.

Though this film kids the various clichés of whodunit mysteries, See How They Run is quite a good whodunit itself. This movie keeps you guessing who the culprit is with many well handled red herrings to throw you off track. Still when the killer is reveled it makes a lot of sense and every comes together very well. True it is a little over the top but that is the nature of the game and a huge part of the fun. Our main characters also add to the charm of this movie. While it would have been easy to have just made one the straight man to the other's more comic persona, that is not what is done here. Instead you have two very well thought out and human characters who are stuck working together, despite one not wanting to work with the other. The relationship between the two is a bit rocky (to say the least), but there is more to it than simply one guy being annoyed by another's antics. This relationship also evolved over the course of the movie in a completely delightful and believable one. Adding to this is that Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan have wonderful chemistry together. 

The humor in this film can be hit and miss. However when it is funny, it is very funny. The best humor comes from the character of Constable Stalker, the rookie female officer who is being made to work with the more experienced Inspector. This character is not dumb, but is too eager to make good and nervous that she finds herself jumping to conclusions too quickly. This leads to a lot of really funny moments that not only make us laugh but endear the character to us as well. Also her movie references and corny little jokes are delightful. Much of this is due to Saoirse Ronan having a great comedic gift that she is really able to show off here. The humor that doesn't work so well is the more self-referential and meta humor about these types of whodunits. These jokes almost always fall flat and are simply not as clever as they are supposed to be. Sometimes such as the opening of the film and the ending, this type of humor can be a bit too much and distract from the story itself. 

All in all despite its flaws, this is a really fun movie.