Knives Out

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