Murder mysteries that are more quaint than gruesome have been enjoying something of a resurgence lately. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out (2019) and upcoming sequel Glass Onion (2022), and Steve Martin and John Hoffman’s television series Only Murders in the Building (2021–) have enjoyed tremendous success for blending an old-fashioned style of storytelling with more modern sensibilities. While not completely embodying the more family-friendly style and tone of the cosy mystery, they are still committed to cleverness and humour rather than the toughness, brutality and cynicism of hardboiled detective fiction. And of course there is also Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022), both high octane adaptations of classic novels by legendary crime fiction author Agatha Christie, who herself is central to the mystery of See How They Run, the latest film in the whodunnit revival.
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