A sharp and delightful whodunnit film
Rian Johnson has recently endured one of the most discussed films in recent history, The Last Jedi. The discussion, mostly from fans of the Star Wars franchise who had different ideas and plans in their heads would be hard for any person to get through. Johnson’s response to all the hate was always humble and never joining in. His response via his next film is one that proves he can make films that are extremely enjoyable and those skipping it because of The Last Jedi will be sorely missing out.
Knives Out is a whodunnit film in the same style as Agatha Christie. The film follows a private investigator named Beniot Blanc (Daniel Craig) who has been hired to solve the murder of a famous crime author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Benoit Blanc has been hired anonymously to solve the murder which appears to be a suicide. Benoit must figure out why he was hired and solve the murder by investigating each member of the Thrombey family as each member attempts to claim their stake of the Thrombey estate. Benoit enlists the help of Harlan’s carer Marta (Ana de Armas) to help him solve the murder and each family member’s motives.
The film is like one big game of Cluedo, even set in a big house which is scattered in clues and evidence. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out isn’t a dark and mysterious thriller-like modern cinema has become. Instead, the film is light-hearted and one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year and for a long time in fact. At the centre of the comedy is Daniel Craig like you’ve never seen him before. To say anything about his character would, in fact, spoil the shock value that his character has on-screen as you expect him to be this brave intelligent and sophisticated detective. Yet there is a scene where he is sitting in a car listening to tunes on an iPod touch when bad things are happening around him. It would not surprise me if Daniel Craig got an Oscar nomination for his role in the film and it would be extremely deserved as well.
The joy and laughter that Benoit Blanc brings to the film is just one of the great ensemble of characters played masterfully by the fantastic cast. Each character is set up and create with enough detail and personality that you can tell just filming Knives Out was a joy. This ends up with you leaving the film wishing you had more time with each character but that would ruin the film’s perfect length.
The issue with whodunnit and thriller films is that nowadays the audience has guessed who the killer is and are just waiting for a hopeful twist. Audiences are smarter now because viewers have watched so much. Johnson almost acknowledges this by acknowledging how ridiculous the situation is through comedy and great over dramatic acting. You can attempt to guess the killer from the start but the film is set out in a way that means you simply can’t do it.
Johnson’s Knives Out also stands out because of how great the film is to look at and listen to. The film’s slow reveal of characters is mixed with some fast editing and and shots from every angle in the house that you can imagine as character argue with each other, a huge cast usually means that the camera tries to stuff people in to shots unnecessarily but Johnson manages it through cutting from character to character which allows the film to have a greater flow to it. The cuts and each scene are accompanied by the brilliant score which helps set the tone and keep your enthralled in the world of Knives Out at all time, it just sounds like a fun murder mystery like I want the score to play whenever I play Cluedo!
Knives Out is simply a big crowd-pleaser. It is a film that is too enjoyable to watch to even hate in the slightest and is clearly a passion project for Rian Johnson. After The Last Jedi, I thought that it might be hard for Johnson to bounce back from the backlash he received but Knives Out proves why he is currently one of the best filmmakers out there today. Knives Out keeps you guessing till the end as it’s the best whodunnit I’ve ever seen.
The film is sure to be in your top films of the year as it leaves you laughing and smiling throughout. Knives Out proves that not every murder mystery project has to be dark and mysterious but in fact the opposite works just as well, if not better. Knives Out is the reason why we go to the cinema, to be entertained, it is truly the best film of the year.