This movie takes place in ’50s London, where Agatha Christie’s famous hit The Mousetrap is celebrating 100 shows. When someone is murdered in the theater, enter a seasoned detective (Sam Rockwell) and his typically-eager-but-bumbling assistant (Saoirse Ronan, who creates a delightful character). They set about solving the case, while the parallels to the play mount. To be good, a classic whodunit like this traditionally has witty writing, snappy performances, taut direction and beautiful art direction. This version has a bit of each, but never shines in any category. Everyone is trying hard, but there’s nothing clever in the script or plot and the overall direction lacks tension. Even the costumes/locations are only average beautiful. Anyone desiring to revive this style of mystery should bring something fresh to the approach. Sadly, this film is rather bland all around. 
(2 / 5)
