Rian Johnson's eagerly awaited murder mystery does exactly what it says on the poster, its a 'whodunnit' set in modern America, complete with accented detective and family full of suspects.
Previously published on Vulturehound. HERE
Sometimes, there’s a film that acts like it’s a genre film. A film that delivers what you hoped for. A film that does exactly what it says on the poster. Sometimes you just really need a film that is what you expected and that film is ‘Knives Out’. The murder mystery, complete with an all-star cast that pays homage to all the ‘whodunnits’ that have come before and heavily influenced by Agatha Christie, this is another feather in Johnson’s genre catalogue hat and does not disappoint.
After a family gathering celebrating his 85th birthday, famous crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey is found dead under suspicious circumstances. With his whole family as well as his confidant and nurse, as possible suspects, local police officers are joined on the case by famed sleuth Benoit Blanc who was hired by anonymous client to solve the crime, just adding more mystery to Harlan’s death.
As a self-confessed enthusiast of Agatha Christie and all things connected to the murder mystery, Johnson’s script is almost a tribute to the traditions and elements that make up this genre. With the very bare minimum of obvious signposting such as whether a clue is useful or not, or whether a certain character’s absence is the key to the whole plot and the fact that Johnson has said he didn’t want to include red herrings means he is not only taking this very seriously but he is able to just have fun with the film and characters.
The family of suspects and the loyal friend and nurse as the outsider does seem like a very obvious set up for a story of this nature but as soon as you meet all the characters, with all their weird and wonderful quirks, it really doesn’t matter, you already feel like you’re part of the case and want to solve it. However, a major reveal does happen a little too early on in the film and could be construed as being a bit too predictable from there on. BUT if you’re watching the film to just play the game then you’re missing the point of the film. It’s not about the ending, its about the journey and soaking up every little detail, right down the insults the family throws at each other in overlapping arguments, its actually very funny. Giving each of the family members a personality, no matter how small a detail always helps. They are indeed stereotypes that we are all fully aware of and enjoy seeing squirm under questioning, another aspect of the film that Johnson has created on purpose. This is what other murder mysteries do, pad out the cast with stereotypical characters, all of whom have their own stories and possible motives. The added touch of an obvious divide between the family and Marta, the nurse, as each family member thinks she is from a different country was an amusing and accurate reference to modern Americans attitude. Standing aside from the family is Daniel Craig as Blanc is absolutely loving his role as the sleuth sent to solve the case. With an accent that stands out a mile from the rest of the cast and a laid-back attitude to a somewhat tragic incident, he commands the dramatic pauses he is given and really is a scene stealer in the film.
The story may seem slightly predictable but the characters and the ‘Cluedo’ like house, which is fantastically kitted out with amazingly designed rooms and trick windows and secret passages, it feels more like a character than a location. It’s a fun and at times very amusing fresh take on the usually period costumed genre films, Johnson set out to make a ‘whodunnit’ set in modern times and he has more than delivered here with ‘Knives Out’.