Overview:
- 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.
- MOVIE TITLE: Knives Out. LENGTH: 2 hours, 10 minutes. Movie Review Mom GRADE: A IN A NUTSHELL: Directed by Rian Johnson, this funny “whodunnit” has the same vibe as the 1985 film Clue with an old-fashioned mystery and an outstanding ensemble cast. You will definitely be entertained. TIPS FOR PARENTS: LOTS of smoking.
- 'Knives Out' holds a 96% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praise the film's suspenseful storytelling, stellar ensemble and use of old murder-mystery tropes.
Wait! Don’t go. I totally get it, films like Knives Out are very, very sensitive to spoilers. And I promise, I won’t spill any beans in this review, alright? My name doesn’t rhyme anywhere close to Mark Holland or Tom Ruffalo, however you put it.
The reason any mainstream audience would get attracted to Knives Out, is, no doubt, the presence of Steve Rogers in the film, aka Chris Evans himself. The good news is, you get to see a lot of him in Knives Out, and the character which he played is befitting of him in the looks department. The bad news? It’s far from being Evan’s strongest performance. That honor goes to Ana de Armas, and Daniel Craig to some extent.
Review: Ingenious and irresistible, ‘Knives Out’ is a criminally good time Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig in the movie “Knives Out.” (Claire Folger / Lionsgate).
I’m not particularly averse to a ‘whodunit’ film like Knives Out. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I love the brain workout and mind games that thrive in such movies, and oddly, I saw joy in Daniel Craig’s unusual role as a mischievous, Sherlock Holmes’esque detective. With that said, Knives Out had always been on my radar since the trailer’s release.
One common pitfall of whodunit films has got to do with the plot, which, if done incorrectly, can lead to extended sessions of boredom and disconnect. “I don’t give a sh*t anymore! I’ll just wait for the finale to reveal who the murderer is!”. Sounds familiar? In which, I can reassuringly report that it’s not the case with Knives Out.
Apart from Star Wars, Rian Johnson is well known for single-handedly direct, write and produce strong performing films like Looper (2012) and Brick (2005). The one-man-army has done it again with Knives Out, and he had come out with this original story that is nothing short of breathtaking.
Hindi typing test kruti dev. Of course, you don’t get that traditional whodunit plot that plays by utmost secrecy until the very final moment of the finale, when everything is spilled out. And of course, with that, the usual “based on best-selling crime novel” flair is missing.
But that doesn’t take away any of the suspense and fun of the film, as Knives Out plays by a unique plot that breathes some fresh air into the genre. It’s a story that shares a generous amount of truth to the audience as the clock ticks into the early hours of the film, and yet abide by that final piece of a puzzle that Johnson had planted into the plot as a dangling carrot. I prefer to call it a bait, because that is what motivates you to be continuously vested in the plot, but in some other way assures you that you already know the big picture, and persuades you to let your guard down.
There is a superficial lack of variety in the location where the events unfold, because, you guessed it, most of the scenes happen right within the Thrombey’s mansion. Still, I called it superficial because this, together with the absence of bold camera moves have been compensated by Johnson with extreme attention to the rich details of the mansion. Ironically, it never gets old seeing the antiquated mansion in action, because there is virtually a hidden treasure tucked within each scene. Besides, the maze-like layout of the mansion made me feel like a little kiddo who wants to explore that mansion even more.
All that expensive backdrop and the apprehending story requires an equally dedicated act to bring it all to life, in which, Johnson had struck a lottery with Ana de Armas, and perhaps a consolation with Daniel Craig. They said that the eyes are the window to your soul, which rings true for de Armas. Maybe that is why Johnson often rewarded Marta Cabrera with unusually close-up, shallow depth of field shots towards her face as compared to other characters. De Armas’ oftentimes moist (with just the right amount) eyes that were choked with worries, tell more story than many other things in the film.
I likened Craig’s casting to a consolation prize because while I enjoyed seeing him in Knives Out, I am still a little divided. His character, Benoit Blanc, speaks with an unusual slang which made him an even more peculiar character than what he seemed at first. It certainly needs some getting used to, especially if you’re used to his smooth, suave conversation manner in Bond films. Sure, it’s not the most natural of acts, and Blanc does not necessarily speak or act intelligently at times, but that also made the character raw and feels relatable. And made many, many scenes terrifically hilarious.
Perhaps, it’s the humor that has lightened up the mood in Knives Out and balanced it so well against its dark color tones. A story-line that starts with someone’s death is not particularly uplifting, so it’s nice for the audience to see some contrasting events. Like a group of obnoxious family members fighting with each other. Which, was the exact treatment that Johnson had given to the Thrombeys, and he really liked to cook them up into fully baked subjects of ridicule.
Elsewhere in Knives Out, some carefully thought over, and tremendously metaphorical scenes can be observed. Those are the scenes which separate Rian Johnson from the average filmmakers, and are worth studying even long after Knives Out has lost its grossing ability. Here’s a little activity, without spoilers, for those who plan to watch Knives Out anytime soon. Spot the scene in the movie that’s befitting to this description: “As she was running away, she found herself passing a long, dark tunnel. There was a glaring light at the end of it, and she knew that it was her salvation. A monster appeared, halting her journey, and with each hammering strike, she was pushed back into the darkness, deeper, and deeper, away from the light.” It won’t be that hard.
Addict Verdict:
Where Can I Watch Knives Out
Knives Out tied together Daniel Craig’s unusual portrayal, Ana de Armas’ believable performance, and Chris Evans stratospheric fame with an original story worthy of awards. Rian Johnson is more than capable to spice up this otherwise dark-natured film with satisfying amount of humor, and instill his own artistic twist towards the story and scenes. In the end, Knives Out, as its name may suggest, is relentlessly entertaining—The Film Addict
*Knives Out is now available on Prime Video
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“Knives Out” bills itself as a whodunit mystery, and to a degree it is, but the “it” in question isn’t what it appears to be. The advertising has let it be known that the film revolves around the death of wealthy mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) from an apparent suicide. This being a mystery movie, I went in ready to ask who killed Harlan and staged it to look like a suicide. At the very least, I really hoped that the movie wasn’t going to take the route where Harlan actually killed himself just to make idiots out of people who suspected murder. But it turned out that I had fallen for just one of the movie’s many misdirections. The mystery of the film isn’t so much about who was responsible for Harlan’s death, but more about who hired renowned private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to investigate the death, who is interfering in Blanc’s investigation, and of course the why of it all.
The suspects are primarily in Harlan’s family since they were all at Harlan’s mansion for his 85th birthday party. Daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a real estate mogul with a cheating husband (Don Johnson) and an obnoxious, spoiled son named Ransom (Chris Evans). Son Walt (Michael Shannon) is the soon-to-be-ousted CEO of his dad’s publishing company. He and his wife Donna (Riki Lindhome, whose underuse is one of the film’s biggest blemishes) have a son named Jacob (Jaeden Martell) who heard Harlan arguing with Ransom at the party over the elder’s will. Conniving daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) was caught embezzling money meant for her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford) and both were about to be cut off. Even Harlan’s mother (K Callan, who is six years younger than Christopher Plummer) may be a factor.
There is one more major player, one who’s not in the family. Marta (Ana de Armas) was Harlan’s kindhearted caretaker. Harlan had a natural love for his family, but he respected Marta more than all of them. It’s easy for the police and Blanc to question her because she’s physically incapable of lying, reacting with violent illness if she does. She’s allowed to tag along in the investigation since she’s an insider who knows the family. Although the little-known de Armas is rather shunted to the side in much of the film’s advertising, Marta is so important that it’s not a stretch to call her the main character of the movie.
One expects a mystery movie to be filled with twists and turns, but I must reiterate what a sharp turn this movie takes around the one-third mark. It basically eliminates the “whodunit” aspect that I was eagerly anticipating, which negatively affected my enjoyment of the middle of the movie, only for the ending to reveal that there was a whodunit element all along. I can’t believe I watched that earlier scene and thought that everything was as it seemed, though I was right to think that something about Harlan’s health seemed… wrong.
If you see “Knives Out” strictly for the mystery, you’ll probably be disappointed, though that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll leave disappointed. Instead, just enjoy the ride with the affable de Armas, the crazy, dramatic family (though they aren’t in the movie as much as the advertising makes it look), and especially Craig as the eloquent sleuth who’s maybe read a few too many of Harlan’s detective novels. I thought the movie sometimes went too long between laughs, but when it delivers, they’re some of the biggest of the year. The death and the events surrounding it are a bit nonsensical and definitely convoluted, and I can think of a better solution to a key problem that would have saved everyone a huge headache and maybe a life or two (email me at rrg251@nyu.edu if you want to hear my idea, though my response will definitely contain spoilers), but overall this is a fun movie because of the things that work.
Grade: B-
“Knives Out” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material. Its running time is 130 minutes.
Robert R. Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. His weekly movie reviews have been published since 2006.
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