Review by JD Piche, RCRs Producer and Pop Culture expert, follow him on Twitter at @misadventurer
Writer Director, Rian Johnson’s previous, original films, tackled a common film theme from such a transformative angle it redefined the genre. From setting a Noir Detective Story in a modern High School in “Brick” to the triple double crosses, where in the end everybody gets what they want heist movie of “The Brothers Bloom,” to the Shoot ’em up where the main character ends up hunting down the older version of himself in “Looper” to his divisive approach to the Space Opera with “The Last Jedi” which if anything, highlights the allegory. Knives Out is Rian Johnson’s return to form, cementing him as one of the most interesting directors working.
“Knives Out” from the surface seems like a modern version of Clue, with the color coordinated cast evoking images of Colonel Mustard, and Miss Peacock, just walking tropes. The terrific supporting cast give a great sense of how terrible the characters all are. The film opens with the Thrombey family’s Patron, Harlan (played by Christopher Plummer) a best-selling crime novelist, seemingly took his own life, after his birthday party, where, he had made some cuts to his will.
The bulk of the film is the family being questioned, as they all had motive and an axe to grind. A rather wrote process, most Police Procedural shows are just the questioning of suspects, however, Johnson plays the sequence as rhapsodic, a sinful symphony. While the family members are being interviewed one by one, by LaKeith Stanfield’s “Lt Elliott” behind him in shadow sits Daniel Craig’s unmistakable silhouette, who will occasionally tap a key on the nearby piano when a useful piece of information is given. And the film tells us, contextually that everyone winds up asking who Craig is, and with a rough southern drawl, we are introduced to “Benoit Blanc” a character not-unlike Harlan’s crime story protagonist and every other Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot or Harry Bosch, but in the flesh. He was hired by an anonymous party to get to the bottom of who was ultimately responsible for the death of Harlan Thrombey.
Despite the film’s name, there aren’t many knives brandished, its explained the intricate web of 1000 knives, art installation was for a promotional photo of one of Harlan’s books, which is an almost literal representation of each characters own personal web of lies with how they’re framed. The camera work by Steve Yedlin makes the house feel both cavernous and quaint. Production Designer David Crank, made the house feel both unwelcoming and cozy.
With direct and indirect representation, of how the people react to the spaces they are in, Johnson weaves an intricately layered view for the audience of each cast member. Marta played by Ana de Armas, is arguably the central protagonist, her portrayal is heartfelt and honest, as her character has an unexplained as to why physical aversion to lying, as if she constantly had truth serum coursing through her veins.
The final character introduced, except when shown in passing is Chris Evans’s “Ransom” the son of Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson, the former Super Soldier channeling a Super Entitled playboy living it up off the family’s money, with a thoroughly modern bachelor pad thats the architectural opposite of the Family Home. He’s the only member of the family to storm off, during Harlan’s birthday party and refused to take part in the police inquisition, only showing up for the reading of the will, whether he’s innocent or the core of the conspiracy remains to the detective to discern.
Final thoughts –
Absolutely Loved This Film.
One of the best movies of the year, I can’t wait to see it again.
10/10
Knives Out will be in theaters on November 27, 2019
About Knives Out
Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Noah Segan, Edi Patterson, Riki Lindhome, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.
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Text ‘Whodunnit’ to 94200 to see the knives come out.
Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in KNIVES OUT, a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death. With an all-star ensemble cast including Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell, KNIVES OUT is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end.
