Satirical murder mysteries are tough to make, tough to sell and, in this case, tough to enjoy, even when the foundational source material is rich (as it is here).  Aficionados of Agatha Christie may find more merit than I did, but this is pretty bland stuff.

Tom George’s film stages a murder on the 100th performance of Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” in London.  Assigned to the case are Inspector Stoppard (a completely miscast Sam Rockwell) and Constable Stalker (Saorise Ronan, who gives a delightful performance).  Various actors, producers and stage personnel are suspected, questioned and then threatened with death themselves as the case drags on.  Eventually it comes to an explosive conclusion, just as the first victim storyboarded it (in a flashback).

This dull, mostly lifeless film makes two big mistakes and never corrects them.  The first is to focus on the police investigating the crime rather than on the crime itself, and the repercussions that ripple out from the first murder.  The police investigation simply isn’t very interesting.  And most of that is due to the miscasting of Sam Rockwell, which is the film’s second big mistake.  Whether he just couldn’t figure out how to play the character, or as it is written Inspector Stoppard is just a boring, sloppy drunk with little talent, Sam Rockwell is burdened with the most unlikable, stodgy, inert policeman I can ever recall in a film.  There is just nothing to this guy, and Rockwell does nothing with him.  By contrast, Soarise Ronan’s Constable Stalker is a dynamo.

Plenty of in-jokes and Christie references will give vintage murder mystery fans moments of pleasure, but this movie, as well-intentioned as it is, working real-life people into the fictional mix, is more of a mess than a meaningful work of art.  It’s not a total waste of time, but it is a big disappointment, considering the talent involved and the richness of the source material it plunders.  ☆ ☆.  26 September 2022.