Knives Out
Starring: Ana De Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Rated: PG-13
There’s been a death in the Thrombley household. After a night of celebrating Harlan Thrombley’s 85th birthday party, he was found dead from an apparent suicide. How could this be possible after what seemed to be such a joyful evening? Harlan’s whole family was in attendance for the big night, including his daughter Lori, son Walt, daughter-in-law, Joni and their children. As more information is uncovered about the evening, some suspect foul play was involved. What happened that mysterious night? Who is hiding secrets?
Knives Out is a mystery in the style of Agatha Christie following the Thrombley family after the strange death of the patriarch, Harlan (Christopher Plummer). Harlan was an author of mystery novels and his death inspires a mystery of its own. Although his death was ruled a suicide, someone in the family believed he couldn’t possibly kill himself. This led the individual to hire private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who works alongside Lietenant Elliot (LaKeith Stanfield) to uncover the truth. Blanc soon finds that all of the Thrombley’s had a motive to kill Harlan. Was he murdered? And who hired Blanc? The more the mystery builds, the more the knives come out.
Knives Out is wittily written and stylishly directed by Rian Johnson. The dramatic opening shot focuses on the foreboding Thrombly mansion and sets the tone for everything the audience is about to see. (Nathan Johnson’s string-heavy score brilliantly ties the film together in a dramatic fashion.) This is an over-the-top rollercoaster of twists and turns. Every scene is set with the perfect amount of detail that the viewer needs to piece the story together. Johnson crafts the film using a series of flashbacks going back to the night of Harlan’s death, seen through each character’s point of view. Then, in the second act, he reveals what seems to be the major twist. It’s a surprising move for this genre, and for a little while it made me feel like the plot lost a bit of steam. It’s rare for a film to reveal something so significant early on. However, stick with the movie and let it surprise you. The journey is worth it.
The house becomes a character itself thanks to the stunning production design. There are secrets lurking around every corner waiting to tell a story about what went on the night of Harlan’s death. The Thrombley mansion looks straight out of a mystery novel, grandiose and eerie. There’s even a massive circular display of knives as a centerpiece at the heart of the mansion. The set designers really outdid themselves here.
The major draw for me to see Knives Out was the star-studded cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Daniel Craig, Lakeith Stanfield, and Toni Collete. That’s a pretty significant lineup right there, and they did not disappoint!
The breakout among everyone is Ana de Armas, who serves as the star of the film, Marta. She’s Harlan’s nurse who knows all of the family secrets and serves as a helper to Blanc on the case. This is Marta’s story at the core, and there are political undertones surrounding her character as she is viewed as “the help” coming from an immigrant family. In reality, she seemed to be the one person who listened to and understood Harlan. De Armas’ establishes herself as an actress who can hold her own in a cast filled with Hollywood A-listers.
Daniel Craig is practicing his best Michael Scott/Caleb Crawdad impression as Benoit Blanc. This accent is a situation. It’s so ridiculously over the top. I think Daniel Craig has an obsession with doing inaccurate southern accents. First Logan Lucky and now this. I find both performances to be funny, but my fellow southerners need to band together to tell Daniel Craig that people don’t talk like this! Despite sounding like he is about to enter a debutant ball drunk on illegal moonshine, Craig provides some of the most hilarious lines in the film.
It’s a known fact that I see every Chris Evans movie like it’s my job, and Ransom Thrombley is a far cry from Captain America. He’s an arrogant rich playboy who can’t hold down a job. But HE SURE CAN WEAR A SWEATER! The amount of fall clothing that Chris Evans models in this movie is just perfection. This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the costume designer of Knives Out for dressing Chris Evans in all of these outfits. He looks amazing. Chris Evans shows his acting range by how drastically different this role is from Steve Rogers.
As much as I wanted this to be a perfect movie, it falls short in some ways. Some comedic gags fall flat and don’t work. One, in particular, involving Marta and her inability to lie, is taken too far at times.
With a cast of so many characters, it’s too bad only a select few are highlighted. The first act sets the family up so brilliantly. Toni Collette is Joni, a Gwyneth Paltrow-Esque lifestyle “influencer.” Michael Shannon is Walt, Harlan’s son, a publisher who loses his cool a little too quickly. Jamie Lee Curtis steals all of her scenes as Lori, a sarcastic woman in charge of her own business. Each family member has their own storyline going and is brimming with distinct personality. The dysfunctional family has no trouble showcasing how greed corrupts. In the second act, some of the Thrombley’s fade into the shadows. Their characterization also suffers a bit. I get that the film is trying to say the family is obnoxious and entitled. However, I’d have liked to see a bit more of the bold characterization of the first act continue throughout the film.
When all is said and done, I do declare that I had a great time watching Knives Out. It’s a comedic and mischevious mystery with stylish flair. This is Agatha Christie given a 21st-century update. You’ll be left wondering who you can trust and what happens next in this twisty mystery.
My Rating: 8/10