Knives Out - Review

 Knives Out

“Knives Out” is a “whodunit mystery” film written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”). Similar in style and adaptation to the 1976 film “Murder by Death” and the 1978 film “The Cheap Detective”, this tale is a modern murder mystery that follows a family gathering gone horribly awry after the family patriarch's death leads a master detective to investigate it. The film stars an ensemble cast, including 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.

PLOT: Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey invites his extended dysfunctional family to his remote mansion on his 85th birthday in hopes of reuniting them all. However, the day after the birthday party, Harlan is found dead by members of the family in an apparent suicide …………..or was it? 

Odd forensic evidence suggest otherwise for lead “Detective Lieutenant Elliot” (Lakeith Stanfield aka for FX "Atlanta' and film "Get Out") and legendary super sleuth “Detective Benoit Blanc” (Daniel Craig aka 007). Together they summarily examine each member of the surviving family and their household staff, dramatically and hilariously questioning each one by one to determine if in fact the wealthy elder Thrombey died by his own hands or “is there something rotten in Denmark” by people who all had a legitimate motive to have killed him?”

REVIEW: “Knives Out” is a refreshing experience to have at the movies. Its part action, part thriller, part mystery, great ensemble, appropriately humorous and witty and sometimes very dramatic, all the while moving with a verbal fast pace of 2:08 running time and overall subtle “wink - wink“ juicy delicious farcical ridiculous tinge to its plot.  

What makes this movie work so well is it never ask you to really wonder each step of the way if any of this mystery makes any real life intellectual sense…………….OF COURSE IT DOES NOT. What is does ask is through some smooth transitional plot twists and turns is the story plausible and clever enough for you to buy as being a legitimate “whodunit’………….. WHICH IT DOES. And with fine ensemble acting performances all around “Knives Out” is a nostalgic noir-ish, no guns throwback where the police pursue the facts in hopes of getting the bad guy suspect(s). The powers of human reasoning and deduction is always at the forefront.

On a side not the one actor I found most amusing and very well developed was Daniel Craig's “Detective Benoit Blanc”. Besides being adroitly funny and smart, his character structurally was a throwback similar to the mannerisms of 1970 - 80's TV actor Peter Falk trench coat wearing, perpetual cigar chewing repetitive questioning “Detective Colombo” and the verbal over affectations of animation cartoon character “Foghorn Leghorn’s” KFC southern drawl” …………  “I say, I say pay attention there boy, I'm cuttin' but you ain't bleedin'!”

“Knives Out” manages to the very end to keep you guessing without ever being boring. All the characters are kooky and yet smart - nuanced and yet brash with a plot that is imaginative but never complicated every step of the way.

It's the most mature, inventive and creative movie fun you will have in the theater for 2019.

3.75 Stars