Almost Completely Non-Woke

Clue (1985) is among my favorite films, and I'm always on the hunt for something similar. I was very excited for Knives Out (2019) and found a lot to enjoy there, but ultimately I found it too political and agenda-driven to finish. Maybe one day. See How They Run (2022) strikes the tone I was looking for, without turning me off with wokeness. It is a meta, whodunit comedy featuring great characters, a fun story, and a terrific ensemble performance (led by Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and Adrien Brody). Sure, I found it a bit predictable, but the movie is so self-aware, I think that might be a bit by design. If you like murder mystery-comedy that won't hit you over the head with the usual Hollywood messaging, I highly recommend this. One of the best times I've had watching a new film in quite awhile.

Now for the real business at hand. Let me start by stating that I am incredibly strict with evaluating cinematic wokeness. We have been so saturated with it for so long, that I have practically no tolerance for it. Many people would give this movie a wokeness score of 0/5, and I wouldn't argue with that. In fact, I'm tempted to do that myself. So, why a 1/5 from me? We all have a different threshold for this type of stuff, and I'd rather people decide I was too harsh in my review than that I failed to warn them of something. In the case of See How They Run, nothing bothered me enough to ruin my experience. There were multiple interracial couples depicted, which seemed forced for a movie set in 1953 England. Still, race was never mentioned, so it wasn't a problem for me. No direct preaching. There was an implied homosexual relationship (also interracial), but never plainly addressed or focused upon. In fact, a gay couple (half of which was a playright working in show business) likely would've been hush-hush back then, so it made sense. Saoirse Ronan's character (who I really like), is a female police officer, which briefly comes into play just a couple of times. Early on, the commissioner assigns her to the murder case (under Sam Rockwell's Inspector) because he's trying to further his career by painting himself as a "modernizer," having publicly claimed that "women are the future of the force." Later in the film, he takes her up on an offer to make him tea (after cautioning her that this is no way for her to be taken seriously as a police officer). None of this is played up or taken seriously, though, and it won't bother most viewers. The only part of the film that really bugged me was what I deemed a subtle swipe at American police. Adrien Brody's American character asks how English cops kill the bad guys if they don't carry guns, and he's told, "They don't. They ask them to stop in the name of the law." That may not be perceived as a knock by some--especially in a comedy--but I'm very sensitive to Hollywood's constant contempt for police. But, that's it. All in all, this movie can be enjoyed without having to endure the usual nonsense. I, myself, will keep this movie in rotation. I just wanted to be as thorough (and longwinded) as possible to inform others.