Review 536: Knives Out
Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday. Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired to investigate the murder. At first, it looks like an open-and-shut suicide, but could one of Halan’s viciously leechy family members have slit his throat.
Watching this film its pretty clear that Rian Johnson is heavily inspired by Agatha Christie whodunnits with the most obvious influence being the character of Benoit Blanc who is very clearly a Poirot stand in. The atmosphere gives us as an audience what to expect from a classic whodunit with a luxury, old mansion occupied by a family of upper class, stuck up snobs with contrasting personalities coupled with bad attitudes but Johnson smartly and wisely plays with our expectations.
An excellent example of this is how the killer is seemingly revealed early in the film and from then on much of the tension stems from the attempt to cover up their actions while to mystery brews in the background.
As someone whose pretty familiar with the whodunit genre by reading a few Agatha Christie novels and seen several adaptations of her work such as Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile starring Albert Finny and Peter Ustinov respectively; I can safely say that this film features a lot of the usual whodunit tropes but also has this clever and intelligent side to it in that Rian Johnson finds new, creative and intelligent ways to put new and exciting spins on them.
Apart from being a smartly written, witty and murder mystery/whodunnit, it’s also surprisingly funny, This can be a tough balancing act, because Johnson clearly writes moments where he wants us as an audience to laugh but at the same time, he can’t do that at the expense of releasing us from the tension that the film is so brilliantly building. But Johnson balances both elements impeccably
Thematically, Rian Johnson uses the family who make up the suspects in the film to strongly condemn entitlement, depicting the family as demanding their share of a fortune that they didn’t create, an exclusionary attitude drenched in hypocrisy as Forbes put it.
Marta is looked down upon by the Thrombey’s mainly because she’s an immigrant. They outwardly treat her like a daughter as if she's naturally part of the family but are perfectly willing to be unscrupulous to make sure she doesn't get the will.
An excellent example of this is how the killer is seemingly revealed early in the film and from then on much of the tension stems from the attempt to cover up their actions while to mystery brews in the background.
As someone whose pretty familiar with the whodunit genre by reading a few Agatha Christie novels and seen several adaptations of her work such as Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile starring Albert Finny and Peter Ustinov respectively; I can safely say that this film features a lot of the usual whodunit tropes but also has this clever and intelligent side to it in that Rian Johnson finds new, creative and intelligent ways to put new and exciting spins on them.
Apart from being a smartly written, witty and murder mystery/whodunnit, it’s also surprisingly funny, This can be a tough balancing act, because Johnson clearly writes moments where he wants us as an audience to laugh but at the same time, he can’t do that at the expense of releasing us from the tension that the film is so brilliantly building. But Johnson balances both elements impeccably
Thematically, Rian Johnson uses the family who make up the suspects in the film to strongly condemn entitlement, depicting the family as demanding their share of a fortune that they didn’t create, an exclusionary attitude drenched in hypocrisy as Forbes put it.
Marta is looked down upon by the Thrombey’s mainly because she’s an immigrant. They outwardly treat her like a daughter as if she's naturally part of the family but are perfectly willing to be unscrupulous to make sure she doesn't get the will.
One of the most intelligent aspects of Johnsons’s writing is how he plays various members of the Thrombey family off of each other. Harlan's grandchildren Meg (Katherine Langford) and Jacob (Jaeden Martell) are presented as opposites: Both of them as Gen Z teenagers with opposite political views: Meg is a progressive “SJW” whilst Jacob is alt-right.
They also embody their stereotypes: Meg is sociable and pursuing a useless degree whilst Schoolboy Jacob is content to spew his venomous persona on the internet (of course).
Meg seems to be one of the few members of the family whose genuinely nice to Marta whilst Jacob is only hateful to everything.
All culminating a finale that answers pretty much every question and ties up every loose end in this film.
They also embody their stereotypes: Meg is sociable and pursuing a useless degree whilst Schoolboy Jacob is content to spew his venomous persona on the internet (of course).
Meg seems to be one of the few members of the family whose genuinely nice to Marta whilst Jacob is only hateful to everything.
All culminating a finale that answers pretty much every question and ties up every loose end in this film.
Rian Johnson’s direction is simply sublime, the cinematography is splendid and captures the beauty of the films setting and locations, the production design is fabulous (the Thrombey mansion, in particular, looks like a place that has stood the test of time and a classic place to set a murder mystery), the costumes are majestic, the score by Nathan Johnson is brilliant, the make up is rich, its fast paced and the ending was excellent.
With this film, Johnson has assembled a simply fantastic cast of actors that. Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell and Christopher Plummer.
Expertly nailing that southern drawl, Daniel Craig is simply stupendous in this film playing det. Benoit Blanc. He's a classic gentleman slueth. Much like Sherlock, he has a good enough reputation to be allowed in by the local police force to come in and investigate this suicide. Everything just doesn't seem in order so he's trying to square it away. He has a keen eye
We’ve seen Chris Evans play douchebag characters in the early parts of his career but his role of Hugh Ransom Drysdale gives him an opportunity to show him at his most despicable. He seems like one of those characters who very nice deep down but once the rug is pulled out... and he shows just how hilariously reprehensibly smarmy he is. Evans has described the character as someone whose born into privilage and is also equipped with a victim's mentality
Ana de Armas delivers an earnest, performance playing Marta Cabrera. She expertly captures the character's vulnerabiliy and Given that she's Harlan's nurse and caretaker, it would seem that he trusts her like he trusts nobody else.
Kathrine Langford is easily this films wild card in the role of Meg Thrombey, Harlan's grandaughter.
Her worse actions are shrouded with much more abiguity compared to her relatives and Johnson smartly leaves them up to the audiences interpretation. She's arguably much more vocally left-leaning than the others and even goes as far to treat Marta like a sister. But when push comes to shove and her wealthy lifestyle and privilege are threatened, she ultimatly sides with her family and turns on Marta, yet Johnson wisely leaves from room for interetation as to how much she regrets it.
When it comes down to it, Meg wants to protect what is hers - and her mother's - before Marta gets anything.
I also never thought I'd see the day when Toni Collete plays a such a ditz in the role of Joni Thrombey, Harlan's daughter-in-law.
Christopher Plummer is only in a handful of scenes but he shines in every single one of them playing the late Harlan Thrombey. Recaps of his birthday the previous evening from the viewpoints of his family members allows Plummer to showcase the teasing old rogue he was as well as give us insight into his reasons for locking his family out of the will.
Kathrine Langford is easily this films wild card in the role of Meg Thrombey, Harlan's grandaughter.
Her worse actions are shrouded with much more abiguity compared to her relatives and Johnson smartly leaves them up to the audiences interpretation. She's arguably much more vocally left-leaning than the others and even goes as far to treat Marta like a sister. But when push comes to shove and her wealthy lifestyle and privilege are threatened, she ultimatly sides with her family and turns on Marta, yet Johnson wisely leaves from room for interetation as to how much she regrets it.
When it comes down to it, Meg wants to protect what is hers - and her mother's - before Marta gets anything.
I also never thought I'd see the day when Toni Collete plays a such a ditz in the role of Joni Thrombey, Harlan's daughter-in-law.
Christopher Plummer is only in a handful of scenes but he shines in every single one of them playing the late Harlan Thrombey. Recaps of his birthday the previous evening from the viewpoints of his family members allows Plummer to showcase the teasing old rogue he was as well as give us insight into his reasons for locking his family out of the will.
Knives Out certainly nails it, 4.5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
The Anonymous Critic.
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