A Blast From the Past in a Modern Day Oeuvre

Knives Out is a self-aware, stylised farce that has a great time - and pulls you along with it. Full Review Original Score: 4.5/5.

Knives Out directed by Rian Johnson is a modern-day whodunit which gives us glimpses into the bygone era of classic mystery movies. It also serves as a character study of the multiple characters in the plot. Knives Out can best be described as a mixture of all elements of Agatha Christie novels and Alfred Hitchcock movies, but rest assured, this is one movie, a mystery-movie fan will not want to miss for anything!

The movie starts with a background of dogs barking, and then cuts on to a woman carrying breakfast to the master of the house (Harlan Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer) only to find him lying on his sofa with his throat slit. It is shown that Harlan had organized his 85th birthday party the previous night, and his entire family had been invited along with the housekeeper Fran as well as Harlan’s nurse/caretaker/friend – Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), the chief protagonist of this ensemble movie.

1. “Knives Out” comes out the day before Thanksgiving and previews the arguments that will be happening at dinner tables all over America. For de Armas, who has been around for a decade, this movie is a breakout, and for Daniel Craig, who is quite funny as the detective, “Knives Out” shows there will be lots of life after James Bond.
2. Knives Out is a new whodunit for fans of old ones, in the same way Brick appealed to film noir fans with a high school flavor, or how Looper spun a satisfying time-travel story by going as small as.
3. Film Review: Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ 'Brick' director Rian Johnson takes a break between 'Star Wars' movies to deliver this old-school, all-star Agatha Christie homage.

Harlan’s family includes his eldest daughter Linda (the ever bankable Jamie Lee Curtis), her husband Richard, Joni – the widow of Harlan’s deceased son Neil, Jodi’s daughter Meg, Harlan’s youngest son Walter “Walt” Thrombey, Walter’s wife Donna and son Jacob, and Harlan’s grandson Hugh “Ransom” who is Linda and Richard’s son (a brilliant Chris Evans).

It turns out that an anonymous individual hires private investigator Benoit Blanc (a refreshing Daniel Craig) to investigate the death of Harlan Thrombey. During the course of the movie, we learn the secrets that each family member has kept from the rest. We are also shown the conversations Harlan has had with his children and grandson during the party. Director Rian Johnson takes us through the journey engaging us to join in the party and find out the real killer. The plot moves at a decent pace when secrets of each family member start popping out, and you are spoilt for choice as to your pick of the culprit, they provide a snaky group of suspects. One of the undertones of the movie is a gradually developing rapport between Benoit and Marta, which lingers between friendly and suspicion.

Johnson’s script does not give you any “oh my god” twists, but it definitely keeps you engrossed in the proceedings. At the bottom of the script is a classic Agatha Christie plot, with Harlan’s mansion as the center piece, the characters forming the puzzle, and Benoit as Johnson’s Poirot. Rian Johnson’s direction is subtle and intelligent which is enhanced by a distinctive gallery of characters, given weight by Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas.

Craig delivers his dialogues in a unique fashion that is very unlike Craig, and is one of the highlights of the movie, and his performance is equally exhilarating. Michael Plummer brings the dead Harlan Thrombey to life with his presence. Jamie Lee Curtis, as always, does what she does best – give a strong performance. Toni Collette as Joni Thrombey makes each scene count with her take on the character. Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, and Katherine Langford are adequate in their parts. It’s very difficult to despise Chris Evans, but here he does manage to bring out that feeling with his short but impactful performance. Knives out, however, belongs mainly to 2 individuals – Ana de Armas and director Rian Johnson. Ms. Armas is brilliant in her portrayal of Marta Cabrera, and brings to the table a certain honesty in her acting which will linger in the minds of the audience for a long long time. Rian Johnson will catch most of the audience off guard by creating an extremely thrilling crime drama, that uses the collective skills of its excellent cast to great effect.

‘Knives Out’ makes a strong case as one of the best films of the year and a definitive murder mystery for the ages. If murder could be this fun, who wouldn’t be asking for more?

Rating: 4 stars.

Reviews Of Knives Out The Movie 2020

As the days of 2019 dwindle down to a precious few, we’re unlikely to see the year produce a more richly entertaining film than the splendid comic whodunit “Knives Out” (Lionsgate).

Though writer-director Rian Johnson’s ensemble homage to Agatha Christie — and the big-screen adaptations of her work — is strictly for grown-ups, it provides a brainy and satisfying movie.

Knives Out Cast Members

The case at hand concerns the death, in the wake of a family party on the night of his 85th birthday, of famous and wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer).

The police officers assigned to investigate, Lt. Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan), insist Harlan killed himself. But shrewd Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who has been hired by an anonymous client, has other ideas.

Benoit, whose Francophone — presumably Cajun — background is a tip of the hat to Christie’s famous Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, seeks answers among the eccentric members of Harlan’s conflict-ridden clan. And, unsurprisingly, it turns out that virtually every one of them (played, among others, by Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson and Toni Collette) had a reason for wanting the old man dead.

As he tries to navigate his way through this morass of competing motives, Benoit enlist the help of Harlan’s caring and sensible Latina nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas). Marta makes an excellent witness and guide to events because she has an unusual medical condition: she cannot tell a lie without getting sick to her stomach. Yet even Marta’s role in the mystery is not what it initially appears.

Reviews Of The Movie Knives Out

Clever twists and turns, worthy of Christie herself, abundant humor and sly social commentary make Johnson’s movie a dandy treat. There is a hard edge to the proceedings, though, since so many of the figures on screen are grasping, entitled, selfish and perpetually quarrelsome.

Those qualities are, of course, being satirized. Yet at least some viewers may not care for the company of such ethically impoverished characters. There is also at least one important aspect of the story requiring mature discernment — another good reason, along with thematic and vocabulary considerations, to steer kids elsewhere.

Where To Watch Knives Out

Still, in the end, good triumphs over evil and Johnson handles this final development just as deftly as he treats the rest of his material. As a result, there’s a particular relish to the wrap-up. Call it the sweetly moral cherry atop the flavorful cinematic sundae that is “Knives Out.”

The film contains brief gory violence, a morally complex situation, drug use, sexual references, about a dozen profanities, a few milder oaths, a couple of rough terms, frequent crude and crass language and an obscene gesture. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

— John Mulderig

View All Posts by This Author