In my opinion, there are two reasons that movies exist. Either they are a medium of self-expression or they are a way to entertain us. The latter of these two is almost certainly going draw thousands to the movies over the Thanksgiving break.
Knives Out immediately draws you into the mystery surrounding the death of wealthy author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). You are there at the scene of the crime, the Thrombey estate, and immediately are shown the dead body. The location scouting and production design teams have to be given credit for their work. In the estate (the primary location throughout the film), the Thrombey family’s wealth is immaculately stated in every detail of the house; whether it be the excess of ridiculous objects, narrow hallways with many rooms, or the many paintings of Harlem himself, it’s clear. They are wealthy; part of the elite.
However, the stellar writing of writer/director Rian Johnson’s script clearly makes this family out to be spoiled and ridiculous, leading to some genuinely solid laughs from start to finish. However, Johnson interestingly takes an approach that completely undermines the conventions of the murder mystery genre. Johnson initially follows the tradition of giving us a motive for all the characters to kill him, but he pulls the rug from under you. Once that happens, the movie becomes something fresh. It’s unpredictable and will keep you on the edge of your seat with an atmosphere thick with tension and dialogue designed to keep us laughing.
The narrative juxtaposes three sides of this story: the family, the police, and, our main protagonist, Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). As with many films of this generation, there is clearly a social commentary in this movie. There are clear connections that Johnson makes between the contained story of the film and our present political climate. It’s not subtle at all, and the message is not revolutionary, but it leads to a great punch at the end that ultimately leaves you in a good mood.
Nothing needs to be said about say anything about acting in this film. The cast is star studded. Chris Evans. Daniel Craig. Toni Collette. Jamie Lee Curtis. Michael Shannon. Lakeith Stanfield. All of the performances here are solid. Ana de Armas in particular grounds the film with an excellent performance. It’s believable and has some genuine (albeit, limited) depth. Prior to Knives Out, she had never held a lead role in a major Hollywood film. Praise must be given for being able to give such a good performance among the powerhouse actors in the movie.
Overall, this whodunnit has excellent direction from a talented writer/director that continues to make great movies. Yes, you could wait to see the film when it comes out on digital, but you risk being stabbed in the back with spoilers. This is the type of movie that doesn’t come along that often. It’s an original story in a mostly underrepresented genre in today’s studio releases. It’s definitely worth multiple viewings when the chance presents itself.
4.5/5 STARS
