SEE HOW THEY RUN

Set in 1953 in London's West End, the film centers on the murder of director Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody), who is attempting to direct a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's THE MOUSETRAP, which is currently on stage in London and cannot begin its film adaptation until its onstage run is complete. Poking fun at the whodunnit subgenre, the film is meta in the way the original SCREAM was to horror films. A wonderful cast as is stereotypical to this subgenre featuring Brody, Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, David Oyelowo, and Ruth Wilson just to name a few. As is usually the case, when Kopernick is found dead at the theater celebrating the 100th show of the play, everyone soon becomes a suspect and has a motive for the killing. Rockwell plays Inspector Stoppard, a disconnected World War II veteran who carries a slight limp from his wartime days who sluggishly makes his way through life after a recent divorce. He's soon paired with Constable Stalker (Ronan), who is an overzealous policewoman attempting to pass her sergeants exam in a little more than a month and is assigned to be Stoppard's partner in order to gain real-world experience (since England was so progress in 1953 but I digress for the sake of the film). Everyone whom the duo interviews at one point or another soon becomes the main suspect until the only person everyone is overlooking is finally revealed to be the killer in the final act. Decent acting with no one standing out except for Ronan, who really seems entrenched in her character. A final reveal that makes sense on paper but feels boring upon its arrival. Passable as a whodunnit but nowhere near the level of Christie. 5.5/10