Knives Out review: Following on from his brief, though not last foray into a galaxy far, far away, Rian Johnson steps into a new genre, the murder-mystery, for his latest fare, a film boasting an impressive ensemble cast and twists and turns around every corner.
Courtesy of TIFF
There has been a death. Celebrated novelist Harlan Thrombrey (Christopher Plummer) has been found the day after his 85th birthday with his throat slashed. The night before, there was a gathering at his sprawling mansion where many potential suspects were in the vicinity, most of whom members of Thrombrey’s extended family. There’s daughter Linda Drysdale (Jame Lee Curtis), husband Richard (Don Johnson), son Walt (Michael Shannon), ex-daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) and her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford), grandson Ransom (Chris Evans), other grandson Jacob (Jaeden Martell) and housekeeper Marta (Ana de Armas), the last person to see the late Harlan alive.
Following the discovery of the body on the morning after the birthday party, the police are called, but with them is a mysterious third figure in Daniel Craig’s brilliantly named Benoit Blanc, a private detective from the deep south who initially observes from afar. The cause of death is first thought to be suicide, but Blanc suspects foul play due to a number of factors that are slowly revealed.
The film is a glorious whodunnit harking back to the classic books by Agatha Christie, though Johnson stamps his own style on proceedings with tons of witty dialogue, an intricate, unconventional, very enjoyable ensemble piece that will have you guessing to the very end. When I say unconventional, it seems that the hood is pulled off the ‘killer’ towards the end of the first reel, but of course, there’s more to it than that. Each member of the family seemingly has a motive for killing the crime writer, and the film plays with the plot device and genre traits to keep the viewer on its toes. Despite the plot being reasonable simple, it really is a film you have to sit and concentrate.
The cast, naturally, is brilliant, each one of them bringing something different to proceedings and all of them having time to shine. Craig is particularly wonderful, clearly relishing his role as the Hercule Poirot character, a kind of a cross between the Belgian super-sleuth and Columbo. He’s hugely entertaining throughout. Ana de Armas, soon to re-team with Craig on the next James Bond adventure, is another stand-out, a co-lead central to the plot and the character to deliver some of the film’s best moments.
Related: Knives Out premieres at TIFF (Video)
The real star of the show here though is Johnson, the filmmaker clearly having fun with the genre. It’s so refreshing to see a talented filmmaker take a classic genre and spin it on its head. His script is original and witty, cleverly thought out and wonderfully executed. He gets the most from his actors and despite the film having a long running time, keeps the pace going nicely, again the viewer commanded to sit up and pay attention in order not to lose grasp of the story.
Knives Out is sharp-witted, hugely original, multi-layered, completely absorbing and one of those films you can return to time and time again. I had an absolute blast with it.
Knives Out was reviewed at TIFF 2019.
