SEE HOW THEY RUN
A funny, droll mystery comedy best reserved for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
SEE HOW THEY RUN is a clever, funny mystery comedy with a winning central partnership. Sam Rockwell is a standout as the world-weary Inspector Stoppard, while Saoirse Ronan brings lively energy to rookie Constable Stalker. Their chemistry gives the investigation its strongest appeal.
The film also has a moral center: a murderer must be uncovered, and one character risks their life for another. Still, the content rating is −2. There are eight obscenities, two GD profanities, lighter profanities, alcohol use, smoking, gunplay, and allusions to homosexuality and adultery.
Adults who enjoy traditional English mysteries should find much to like, though the movie can be slow. For your family, the practical answer is simple: adults may take the trip, but children and young teens should sit this one out.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn London in 1953, Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap is celebrating its first anniversary when Hollywood filmmakers gather to discuss turning it into a movie. After the play’s obnoxious director, Leo Kopernick, is murdered, world-weary Scotland Yard Inspector Stoppard receives the case.
His new partner is Constable Stalker, a rookie policewoman who keeps jumping to conclusions. As the pair investigate the suspects, Stoppard must also try to stay sober long enough to catch the killer before anyone else dies.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly entertaining film despite a small flaw. The comedy is funny and droll, and fans of traditional English mysteries should enjoy its tone and setting.
Sam Rockwell is a “kick” as the world-weary lead inspector. Saoirse Ronan is also fun as Constable Stalker, and the two actors have good chemistry. The movie is sometimes a little slow, but its central performances carry considerable charm.
The Worldview
SEE HOW THEY RUN presents a moral worldview within a comical murder investigation. The central plot assumes that murder is wrong and that the truth should be uncovered. It also includes a moment in which one character risks their life for another, pointing toward courage and self-sacrifice.
The film’s worldview is complicated by suggestions that one male character is homosexual, though the suggestions are not strongly overt. There are also references to adultery, jealousy, and revenge. Alcohol misuse is treated as part of Inspector Stoppard’s character, including his effort to investigate while continuing to drink.
The film’s casting choices revise historical details, including presenting Agatha Christie’s second husband as a black Englishman rather than the upper-class white Englishman described in the source review. The source considers this bizarre and annoying revisionist history, though David Oyelowo’s performance as the screenwriter is not itself described as annoying.
The movie’s moral concern for truth and justice aligns with Scripture’s rejection of falsehood and evil. “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Moral worldview in a comical setting about a murder investigation, during which one character risks their life for another character, but there are suggestions that one male character is homosexual, though it’s not strongly overt, and there’s some revisionist history where a real life upper class Englishman is played by a black actor
Foul Language
Eight obscenities (including two or three “s” words and two “h” words), two GD profanities, seven light profanities (such as OMG and OG)
Violence
Two characters get into a fight, one character is hit from behind and killed, and there’s some gunplay at the climax
Sex
No sex scenes but there are some references to adultery and one male character is rather effeminate and suggested to be a homosexual
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Alcohol use, plus a character gets topsy once and drunk once
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Smoking but no drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Jealousy, revenge.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The investigation centers on uncovering a murderer. Why does truth matter, even when discovering it is difficult?
Proverbs 12:22 · John 8:32One character risks their life for another. What makes self-sacrifice different from simply being brave?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4Stoppard keeps drinking during the investigation. How can alcohol become a form of escape rather than refreshment?
Ephesians 5:18 · 1 Corinthians 6:12The story includes jealousy, revenge, and references to adultery. How does Scripture call us to respond when we feel wronged?
Romans 12:19–21 · Ephesians 4:31–32The Final Word
SEE HOW THEY RUN is a funny, droll mystery with excellent performances and strong chemistry at its center. Its foul language, mature themes, alcohol use, and violence make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults who enjoy traditional English mysteries, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. Families seeking something gentler can start here:.
