Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for See How They Run.There aren’t a lot of young movie stars that are quite as accomplished as Saoirse Ronan. The Irish actress has landed four Academy Award nominations, worked with some of the industry’s finest filmmakers, and earned the respect of her peers before reaching the age of 30. Ronan is one of the rare actresses whose involvement is enough to generate interest in a project; since she’s avoided signing on to any recurring franchises, Ronan’s performances feel more calculated.
Although Ronan has consistently shown her dramatic range thanks to films like Atonement and Little Women, that doesn’t mean that she lacks a sense of humor in her roles. In Lady Bird, she was able to make the titular character's comedic self-expression endearing. Her brief, yet comedic appearances in The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch indicated that Ronan was just waiting for the moment to play a lead comedy role. The new murder mystery satire, Tom George's See How They Run, shows that she has the ability to stand out within a hilarious ensemble.
Two Detectives, Worlds Apart
Inspired by the life and work of the famous mystery novelist, Agatha Christie, See How They Run opens with the murder of the pretentious American film director Leo Köpernick (Adrien Brody), who is set to direct an adaptation of Christie’s The Mousetrap. The veteran detective Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is called in to investigate the suspects, which includes the cast and crew of the stage production of The Mousetrap. Stoppard is forced to work alongside the novice Constable Stalker (Ronan), who is picking up on the art of detective work. She is eager to work alongside an accomplished sleuth, but Stoppard is less than enthusiastic about picking up a protégé.
A Self-Aware Humor
It’s clear from the very beginning that See How They Run has a cheeky self-awareness; Köpernick even notes that “the most unlikeable character is always killed” before he meets his untimely demise. The entire cast is playing their roles as caricatures, and Rockwell in particular has fun playing an exaggerated version of the grizzled detective. While this adds a self-aware sense of humor, it risks making the film hard to connect with emotionally. This is why Ronan’s comedic work is so important. Her sincere enthusiasm about putting the clues together makes these somewhat tired tropes feel exciting for a new audience.
Stalker As the Audience's Surrogate
In a film where characters are keeping secrets and double-crossing each other, it’s important to have an audience surrogate who the viewer can keep up with. This is the purpose that Stalker satisfies; she observes the initial mystery and recounts the play’s history to Stoppard when he arrives. Although this could have just been expositional, Ronan finds a way to make it endearing. Her detailed note-taking draws the ire of Stoppard; he knows she’s trying to prove her merit, but she certainly doesn’t need to write absolutely everything down.
The disparity between Stoppard and Stalker is what allows the film to have a level-headed perspective on the genre that it’s poking fun at. Stoppard callously notes how all of these events are familiar to him, and seems bored by having to go through with the investigative proceedings. However, Stalker is constantly enthusiastic, as if getting to be involved with a case like this is a treat in itself. She reacts with shock to the most implausible of theories, compliments Stoppard’s wit when he uncovers a clue, and hilariously begins to mix up who has been murdered in the play, and who’s been murdered in real life. In a wonderfully sincere moment, Ronan gets to go “fangirl” when she gets the chance to question The Mousetrap’s star, Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson). She has to constantly remind herself that he’s a suspect and not just an actor she admires.
A Detective to Root For
However, the same relatability that made Ronan’s performances in Lady Bird and Little Women so powerful comes to her advantage in See How They Run. Stalker has something to prove. She wants to pass her sergeant exam and is constantly discounted by her superiors for her lack of experience. Although the film does not expressly delve into the sexism of both the entertainment industry and the police force, the very fact that it takes place in London in the 1950s indicates that a character like Stalker would not have had the opportunity to gain experience. Ronan is empowering but doesn’t deviate from the film’s light atmosphere. In this wonderfully implausible mystery, who wouldn’t want to see this goofy sergeant put everything together?
Ronan’s connection with the audience allows her to react with the same sense of shock that they do when the film’s mysteries unearth themselves. After she begins to suspect that Stoppard himself might be involved in the murder, Stalker rushes to the conclusion that he is to blame. This is certainly the direction that the film is hinting at. When she’s proven incorrect, it catches both the viewer and Stalker by surprise. We’re forced to take a second look at the evidence at the same time that Stalker does.
Ronan’s sincerity allows the film to reach its heartfelt ending. The challenge with doing a genre parody like See How They Run is that when the ending is played straight, it can lack suspense because the rest of the film is so subversive. However, seeing Stalker come in at the last moment to rescue Stoppard is genuinely exciting. There’s a hilarious moment where Stoppard is forced to admit that maybe all of Stalker’s goofy little notes paid off. The fact that Stalker seems just as excited to see The Mousetrap on stage as she is at finding the culprit is the perfect quirky conclusion to her character arc.
This isn’t the type of comedic timing we generally see from Ronan, but hopefully, it doesn’t become an anomaly in her career. Ronan has done enough awards-worthy work to merit the occasional detour. While See How They Run isn’t the type of “prestige project” that she would generally be associated with, doing running gags and physical comedy is a different type of challenge. Ronan has shown that despite being a predominantly dramatic actress she can still be a standout in a film full of hilarious performances.