Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas Chris Evans, Toni Colette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lakeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer
Genre: Thriller
Year: 2019
A classic whodunnit thriller with a stellar cast leading the way, full of twists and turns, destines Knives Out to be a top contender for one of 2019's best films.
The famous Harlan Thrombury (Plummer) has died. Supposedly by suicide, discovered by his housekeeper Marta (de Armas), his throat slit open by his own knife. A week goes by when the Thrombury family are called back to the house to be questioned by the police and the mysterious Detective Benois Blanc (Craig), the latter whom suspects this is no suicide but in fact a murder. Thus the Thrombury mansion becomes a crime scene, where everybody is a suspect, but nobody, as the tagline for the film suggests, has a clue.
At a time where out cinemas are essentially polluted with an excess of superheroes and bottom-of-the-barrel quality comedies, Knives Out presents to us a film which we have been yearning for - a classic case of the whodunnit crime thriller variety. Clearly inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Knives Out heavily contrasts with what cinemas have been dishing out to us audiences for these past few years. Whodunnits are hard to come by and probably even harder to pull off, but in the hands of Rian Johnson (you may remember him from his work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi; however, whatever your bias is on that movie, please do not let it deter you from seeing this one) it is meticulously crafted and stunningly executed.
As previously mentioned, this is not your typical movie. It is intricately laid out, spinning a rather unique perspective on the whodunnit genre which subsequently blends it with farcical comedy. Speaking of comedy, Johnson sprinkles delicious dry humour throughout his script - not the obnoxious comedy we see in blockbusters where they ram the joke down your throat until you choke on it - but subtler humour, akin to the Coen Brother's comedy. Its brief, sometimes so much so you could miss it, but its golden and its all the more because of the exceptional delivery and performances from all the actors, with Daniel Craig really giving a hundred-and-ten percent.
Craig does not appear in much, granted. People just know him from his role in the 007 franchise. Others might remember him from Layer Cake (Matthew Vaughn, 2005) which clearly shows why they cast him as Bond, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011) or even Logan Lucky (Steven Soderbergh, 2017) for those more in touch with their independent cinema. And like Logan Lucky, we see him making a return not only to quirky independent comedies but also to his impression of an American accent.
We are first introduced to Detective Blanc from the shadows, out of focus, tapping a piano key to hurry the conversation if one of the relatives being questioned goes on a tangent. However he is abruptly robbed of this ambiguity when Morris Bristow (Don Johnson) enquires "Who the fuck is he?" (or something along those lines). As he leans forward to reply, we are met with a surprising accent which instantly contrasts to our expectation for the suited, stylish figure (he is dressed and shot with a very James Bond aesthetic so forgive us for anticipating his typical British accent). However, once you adjust to this slight deviation from Craig's normal voice, Detective Blanc is a lovable protagonist with some beautiful comedic undertones and invigorating mannerisms that make him irresistible to watch as he shines in the energy and enthusiasm of his performance. You will be grinning from ear to ear with this immaculate performance from Craig in this film - he is, in a word, delightful.
But let us not forget the rest of the cast that Johnson has assembled. Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049) is the protagonist of whom we follow throughout the progression of the narrative is the timid, mild-mannered assistant/waitress of the late Harlan Thrombury; Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Colette, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Lieberher, Don Johnson and Chris Evans, the 'mourning' family members. As with all films that have a multitude of characters that all require unique and specific personalities in order to define one from another, they all suffer from not being fleshed out into detailed characters; however, they are far from one-dimensional and perhaps apart from some of the younger actors who have less to say, each character gets their time to shine but also their fair share of screen time. Nobody feels excluded and they all have their own stories and their own distinct personality. Each has their own enthusiasm within their performance and are to be merited in each of their portrayals. Rian Johnson does a commendable job at this.
In terms of the plot of the film, there is a lot to be spoiled because it is so dense with detail and riddled with twists; however, take this as a reason to see this film. Johnson leads the audience down multiple rabbit holes where they become convinced by one explanation until he suddenly takes you down a completely different route. But this is just a sign of a confident and talented writer. Some writers might stumble over the intricacies of such a film as Johnson has crafted here but instead he pushes forward, and delivers some incredible twists and an outright stunning narrative that is hugely entertaining from beginning to end.
There is lots to say about Knives Out as well as these above points, such as the beautiful cinematography, the exquisite set design and brilliant direction, but that would just labour the point, the point being - Knives Out is a film we do not really see often enough in cinemas. It needs to be experienced and appreciated on the big screen and most likely given multiple rewatches!
Verdict: 9/10
Tuesday, 26 November 2019
Tuesday, 19 November 2019
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning
Genre: Thriller, drama, comedy
Year: 2019
Tarantino's 9th film strays from his traditional ultra-violent, vulgar filming style to instead embrace his obsession and adoration of all things film.
In Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Tarantino is particularly interested in observing the films and television of the late 1960's, focusing on the year 1969. DiCaprio is Rick Dalton, a once famous and iconic movie star from a previous era who is now scraping the barrel for roles on television. His only shoulder to lean on is his 'stunt double' Cliff Booth (Pitt) who during the course of the film is drawn into the historical backdrop that Tarantino sets out for his film - this being the Manson family.
It is already exactly up Tarantino's street - the opportunity to drool over a past era of movies that he so clearly idolises while also setting up some incredibly violent situations with one of the most notorious cult families in history.
And on both accounts, Tarantino delivers.
The opening of the film introduces the audience to Rick through his character on a television show Bounty Law and a subsequent meeting with Pacino's Marvin Shwarz who warns Rick about how his career is imminently going down the drain, sending Rick into a crisis, realising he has become 'a has-been'. But with Cliff's encouragement 'Remember, you're Rick fucking Dalton', he proceeds with his next role, as the 'heavy' (villain - a role that Shwarz warns Dalton is the beginning of the end for a dying actor) on a pilot Western called Lancer, with a new confidence. Here we are introduced a subtly pivotal character who could go overlooked if viewers are not careful - that is Trudi Fraser/Mirabella Lancer (Julia Butters).
Rick Dalton at this point is at his lowest point - he is an alcoholic and failing at his career. He is desperately trying to stay strong in his industry, but is haunted by times where he lost the chance to star in The Great Escape (recreated with some extremely convincing VFX where DiCaprio replaces McQueen's character within the actual film) and sees very little hope for his future at this point.
This is until he meets Trudi, a young actress who endorses method acting and has a passion for the history of film. Tarantino writes a poignant and clever scene between the two actors - Trudi reads a large book about Disney films and passionately explains her love for these older films while Rick reads a small book, 'a Western', where the cowboy within it has been badly injured and is no longer as strong as he used to be. There is a lot which happens in this short scene but it perfectly epitomises Rick's situation comparatively to a young girl. She is passionate about being her wholeheartedly her character, while Rick frets within the make up studio that all the hair and make up will mean people would not be able to recognise him (still clinging onto the importance of the star system from the 1930s - 1950s).
From an objective point of view, this scene, while maybe some might see it as diverging from the plot, shows Tarantino's observing the death of Old Hollywood and the birth of New Hollywood (Rick and Trudi, respectively), and it is only when Rick pulls off an exceptional performance to which Trudi comments was 'the best acting' she had ever seen, does Rick finally realise that his worth is founded in those aspiring actors who look back with awe on the previous legends gone before them.
While all of this is happening (bare in mind this takes up probably a good hour of the film), we are simultaneously following Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate who is simply enjoying life in Hollywood and Cliff Booth's discovery of the Manson family.
On Tate's side of the story, it is Tarantino's way of just slowing down the film, not to bore the audience but allow them to breathe. While some might feel that there is no point to Sharon Tate being a character in this film other than to add historical context, there is a certain peace about her parts. First of all, Tarantino evidently wants to depict Tate in all her glory - kindhearted, optimistic, happy - and Robbie excels in her performance here. And Tarantino also uses the location of the cinema as a place to all the film to breathe. The cinema is a place of relaxation, escape from the rest of the world, a shelter, a place of refuge, evidently reflecting Tarantino's love for it. Tate watches her own film here and enjoys going incognito, listening to the rest of the audience reacting well to her scenes. Its a lovely homage to this woman and Robbie does an excellent job at portraying her.
Meanwhile with Cliff, after seeing a young girl, Pussy (Fanning), wandering the streets three times in the row, he eventually picks her up and takes her to where she lives, which happens to be an old film studio he used to work at. Intrigued by the nature of her living situation, he agrees to take her there, only to discover things are less than comfortable for him when he disturbs the members of the Manson family. Tarantino employs amazing tension and comedy here ("We love Pussy!"; "Yes we do"), and Pitt does not disappoint with his intoxicating performance, which mixes humour, heart and heroism, resulting in a satisfyingly bloody conclusion - although nothing in comparison to the excessively violent, gory and morbid ending.
Speaking of which, this is possibly one of Tarantino's most brutal depiction of violence in his movies to date. It acts almost as a much needed reward for the audience who have sat through a good couple of hours of mainly dialogue only to conclude with some brilliantly choreographed and performed, yet explosively brutal, violence, all elevated by Tarantino's charismatic and comedic writing.
One of the few issues of this film might be its excessive run time. While Tarantino never effectively wastes time, it could be made a more durable watch if maybe 20 minute were trimmed off, yet nothing feels out of place. It is a different film to what we are used to in the flesh; however, Tarantino's exceptional writing and passion for movies still remains a sure constant.
This might arguably be one of his best films because of how it cannot be judged in relation to his other films in terms of how graphic it is or how vulgar it is, nor is there a feeling that Tarantino is restricted by this stereotype or convention of his movie style. He focuses more of the cinematic quality of the film which is commendable. If this were to be his last film as he has openly confessed, it would put a perfect conclusion to the rest of his filmography. Has he reached perfection? Not quite but it is a film which begs it audience to return time and time again to appreciate every single detail that has been painstakingly achieved by Tarantino's exceptional craftsmanship and handiwork.
Verdict: 9/10
Cast: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning
Genre: Thriller, drama, comedy
Year: 2019
Tarantino's 9th film strays from his traditional ultra-violent, vulgar filming style to instead embrace his obsession and adoration of all things film.
In Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Tarantino is particularly interested in observing the films and television of the late 1960's, focusing on the year 1969. DiCaprio is Rick Dalton, a once famous and iconic movie star from a previous era who is now scraping the barrel for roles on television. His only shoulder to lean on is his 'stunt double' Cliff Booth (Pitt) who during the course of the film is drawn into the historical backdrop that Tarantino sets out for his film - this being the Manson family.
It is already exactly up Tarantino's street - the opportunity to drool over a past era of movies that he so clearly idolises while also setting up some incredibly violent situations with one of the most notorious cult families in history.
And on both accounts, Tarantino delivers.
The opening of the film introduces the audience to Rick through his character on a television show Bounty Law and a subsequent meeting with Pacino's Marvin Shwarz who warns Rick about how his career is imminently going down the drain, sending Rick into a crisis, realising he has become 'a has-been'. But with Cliff's encouragement 'Remember, you're Rick fucking Dalton', he proceeds with his next role, as the 'heavy' (villain - a role that Shwarz warns Dalton is the beginning of the end for a dying actor) on a pilot Western called Lancer, with a new confidence. Here we are introduced a subtly pivotal character who could go overlooked if viewers are not careful - that is Trudi Fraser/Mirabella Lancer (Julia Butters).
Rick Dalton at this point is at his lowest point - he is an alcoholic and failing at his career. He is desperately trying to stay strong in his industry, but is haunted by times where he lost the chance to star in The Great Escape (recreated with some extremely convincing VFX where DiCaprio replaces McQueen's character within the actual film) and sees very little hope for his future at this point.
This is until he meets Trudi, a young actress who endorses method acting and has a passion for the history of film. Tarantino writes a poignant and clever scene between the two actors - Trudi reads a large book about Disney films and passionately explains her love for these older films while Rick reads a small book, 'a Western', where the cowboy within it has been badly injured and is no longer as strong as he used to be. There is a lot which happens in this short scene but it perfectly epitomises Rick's situation comparatively to a young girl. She is passionate about being her wholeheartedly her character, while Rick frets within the make up studio that all the hair and make up will mean people would not be able to recognise him (still clinging onto the importance of the star system from the 1930s - 1950s).
From an objective point of view, this scene, while maybe some might see it as diverging from the plot, shows Tarantino's observing the death of Old Hollywood and the birth of New Hollywood (Rick and Trudi, respectively), and it is only when Rick pulls off an exceptional performance to which Trudi comments was 'the best acting' she had ever seen, does Rick finally realise that his worth is founded in those aspiring actors who look back with awe on the previous legends gone before them.
While all of this is happening (bare in mind this takes up probably a good hour of the film), we are simultaneously following Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate who is simply enjoying life in Hollywood and Cliff Booth's discovery of the Manson family.
On Tate's side of the story, it is Tarantino's way of just slowing down the film, not to bore the audience but allow them to breathe. While some might feel that there is no point to Sharon Tate being a character in this film other than to add historical context, there is a certain peace about her parts. First of all, Tarantino evidently wants to depict Tate in all her glory - kindhearted, optimistic, happy - and Robbie excels in her performance here. And Tarantino also uses the location of the cinema as a place to all the film to breathe. The cinema is a place of relaxation, escape from the rest of the world, a shelter, a place of refuge, evidently reflecting Tarantino's love for it. Tate watches her own film here and enjoys going incognito, listening to the rest of the audience reacting well to her scenes. Its a lovely homage to this woman and Robbie does an excellent job at portraying her.
Meanwhile with Cliff, after seeing a young girl, Pussy (Fanning), wandering the streets three times in the row, he eventually picks her up and takes her to where she lives, which happens to be an old film studio he used to work at. Intrigued by the nature of her living situation, he agrees to take her there, only to discover things are less than comfortable for him when he disturbs the members of the Manson family. Tarantino employs amazing tension and comedy here ("We love Pussy!"; "Yes we do"), and Pitt does not disappoint with his intoxicating performance, which mixes humour, heart and heroism, resulting in a satisfyingly bloody conclusion - although nothing in comparison to the excessively violent, gory and morbid ending.
Speaking of which, this is possibly one of Tarantino's most brutal depiction of violence in his movies to date. It acts almost as a much needed reward for the audience who have sat through a good couple of hours of mainly dialogue only to conclude with some brilliantly choreographed and performed, yet explosively brutal, violence, all elevated by Tarantino's charismatic and comedic writing.
One of the few issues of this film might be its excessive run time. While Tarantino never effectively wastes time, it could be made a more durable watch if maybe 20 minute were trimmed off, yet nothing feels out of place. It is a different film to what we are used to in the flesh; however, Tarantino's exceptional writing and passion for movies still remains a sure constant.
This might arguably be one of his best films because of how it cannot be judged in relation to his other films in terms of how graphic it is or how vulgar it is, nor is there a feeling that Tarantino is restricted by this stereotype or convention of his movie style. He focuses more of the cinematic quality of the film which is commendable. If this were to be his last film as he has openly confessed, it would put a perfect conclusion to the rest of his filmography. Has he reached perfection? Not quite but it is a film which begs it audience to return time and time again to appreciate every single detail that has been painstakingly achieved by Tarantino's exceptional craftsmanship and handiwork.
Verdict: 9/10
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