See How They Run
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours
When it comes to certain actors, I’ve enjoyed their previous work enough that I’ll watch them in anything now. Since Iron Man 2 (2010), I’ve liked what Sam Rockwell has done, whereas Lady Bird (2017) felt like Saoirse Ronan’s breakout role for me. Having both these actors together in the same movie was a guarantee that I’d want to see it. Considering how the trailers made See How They Run (2022) look like a fun little whodunnit comedy, I was looking forward to how these actors would play off each other.
Ronan’s earnest police detective paired with Rockwell’s hardened investigator was a fun match-up for this movie. It’s not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s cute when it’s amusing. That the “lessons” Rockwell’s character inadvertently gives to Ronan’s up-and-comer end up being the key to solving the case just makes it that much more fun. The other actors that surround this investigative duo do a fine job as well, if not perhaps playing their parts a little over the top. The cross-cutting of scenes was also an interesting artistic choice for this film, making it almost feel like a comic book at times.
As far as mysteries go, this one is more akin to a tangential meta Agatha Christie mystery that evokes The Mousetrap without actually being that play in particular. This, of course, means there’s the classic—almost formulaic—layout of false leads and suspicion of the main character. The meta elements were an interesting touch that made me laugh as they came into focus. Overall, though, See How They Run feels generic, even with the star power behind its leading roles. Good for a smile or two, but not much else.
A cute buddy cop meta whodunnit, I give See How They Run 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
