Knives Out Movie Review
Nathan Swank
November 27th, 2019
If you need an amusing, lively night out at the theater to entertain a whole group, look no further than KNIVES OUT! A fantastically fun whodunit murder mystery with big stars, comedy, and a fairly clever premise, KNIVES OUT is the closest film we’ve had to CLUE since… well, CLUE.
The patriarch, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), of a wealthy (and wacky) family is found dead by apparent suicide. But someone expects foul play. To help Lt. Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) and trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) solve the mystery, famous private investigator, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) enters the scene. Blanc is a mustacheless and more entertaining version of Hercule Poirot from the rather bland and rather dumb 2017 film adaptation, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. To help find out more about each family member, Blanc enlists Harlan’s nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas), who can’t tell a lie or even think about a lie without literally puking her guts out. Everyone’s a suspect.
The rest of the all-star cast that makes up this motive-filled, ragtag group of Harlan’s eccentric children and grandchildren are: Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collete, Katherine Langford, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Jaeden Martell, and Chris Evans. Each character has their own unique spirited personality with oblivious entitled ugliness. It’s hard to say who a stand out is, as they each have their own unique moments and of unaware foolishness that will tickle the funny bone. This is the sort of film, where it’s apparent that everyone involved is having a blast and the audience is rewarded with terrific performances, great chemistry, and uproarious laughs.
Set mostly at Harlan’s grand estate, the set design is full of different rooms, secret passages, and some terrific art direction. The knife-filled Game of Thrones-like chair is the perfect touch to a film that is overflowing with personality.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson (STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI), KNIVES OUT is a refreshingly entertaining original screenplay. Part of the fun isn’t just about the “whodunit” aspect, but also about all the circumstances and details surrounding how it plays out. Some of the reveals and jokes are telegraphed but the presentation of the slight predictability earns the laugh anyway. With clever dialogue, funny sight gags, and few silly action spots, there were a few moments where a joke is missed because the audience was still laughing loudly at the previous one.
I don’t want to oversell KNIVES OUT as some masterpiece theater. But keeping in the comedic mystery genre, you would be hard pressed to find anything better. Rated PG-13 due to some foul language, KNIVES OUT is the perfect group outing over the holiday season. Grab your friends and family (but not too young) and have a killer time.
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