A One Mann’s Movies review of “Knives Out” (2019).
Bob the Movie Man’s Rating:
Certification:
US: PG-13. UK: 12.
Now there are many Star Wars fans out there who will never go and see this Rian Johnson film on principle. The writer/director of “The Last Jedi” attracted a HUGE bollocking from fan-boys for the film’s illogical plotting. They really had their ‘knives out’ for him! (There’s a really nice synopsis – in response to “Why are some people hating ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – here if you are interested. I made many of these same points in the spoiler section of my original review).
But, if they were to give it a go, this movie should justifiably be Rian’s redemption from the harshest of critics. For this is a really entertaining film. I found myself smiling with glee through a sizable proportion of the running time.
The Plot.
Multi-millionaire crime-fiction author Harlan Thrombey (the wonderful Christopher Plummer) is celebrating his 85th birthday with three generations of his family in his “Cludo-like” mansion.
That’s a lot of candles! Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Richard (Don Johnson) present Harlan Thromby (Christopher Plummer) with his birthday cake. (Source: Lionsgate).
But all is not well with the family harmonic and the next morning Harlan is found dead in his room by his nurse Marta (Ana de Armas). Apparently, it’s a suicide, but when private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrives on the scene he starts turning over stones “oin seearch ov tha troooth” (sic) and dark secrets begin to emerge.
Whodunnit?
The whodunnit mystery has been done to death (pun intended) over the years at the movies. Some examples close to my heart are “Murder on the Orient Express” (I’m thinking here of the 1974 Albert Finney version – not the 2017 Kenneth Branagh rather lacklustre remake), “Death on the Nile”, “The Mirror Crack’d”, “Deathtrap” and – the high water mark for me – “Sleuth” with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. This movie at times reminded me strongly of that latter film, probably because of the mansion setting.
Key to the success of this Agatha Christie-style movie is a dense portmanteau cast and a well-plotted script. Both are here present.
Cops and PIs. Lieutenant Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield), Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) and the mysterious Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). (Source: Lionsgate).
Another candidate for the SAG Ensemble Cast award.
The cast is suitably stellar with Chris “Cap” Evans, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson vying for the top billing with Craig and Plummer. They bounce off each other joyously, with Collette taking my prize for top acting kudos. She’s just deliciously over the top as the scheming hippy chick with the rasping voice and the cutting one-liners.
Toni Collette, brilliant as Joni Thrombey. (Source: Lionsgate).
With a starring role is Cuban bombshell Ana de Armas, here notching down the glamour to play the plainly dressed nurse. But she has a magnetic screen presence and is perfectly cast as the girl at the heart of all the action. She has the doe-eyed innocence that Alfred Hitchcock was always looking for in his leading ladies. Interestingly, she is soon to appear with Craig again as Bond-girl Paloma in “No Time to Die”.
Elsewhere in the cast are some interesting cameos: the family’s lawyer is none other than Frank “Yoda” Oz; and the ancient security guard is M. Emmet Walsh, who has an amazing filmography going back to the late 60’s.
Will-enders assembled. A great ensemble cast. From left Riki Lindhome, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, Noah Segan, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, K Callan, Jaeden Martell, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Johnson and Jamie Lee Curtis. (Source: Lionsgate).
A fine script.
Writer/director is clearly his ‘thing’. But Rian Johnson here pulls off a neat trick with the script which is brilliantly twisty and turny and 100% entertaining. Although it’s presented as cuts between the ‘present time’ and versions of the night in question, the whole doughnut is never entirely in view until the final reel. It’s a satisfying story, and some of the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny.
A nice plot point is the inability for young Marta to tell a lie without vomiting. Wouldn’t the UK General Elections be SOoooo much more colourful if that was a general trait!!
But why the drawl?
I’ve only the one real criticism of the movie, and that’s Daniel Craig‘s appalling Southern drawl. It’s really quite distracting. Aside from some witty lines of dialogue (“What is this? CSI KFC?”) nothing would have been lost to cast him as an urbane English detective instead. They could have slipped in some Brexit jokes instead!
I appreciate Craig wants to distance himself from Bond somewhat. He did the same thing as Joe Bang in “Logan Lucky”. But – sorry – it didn’t really work for me then and it doesn’t work now either.
A Mrs Trellis from North Wales loved this scene (only for ISIHAC fans!). Blanc (Craig) sleuthing with his “Watson” Ana de Armas. (Source: Lionsgate).
(Older) Family Fun.
This is a really fun movie that a whole family with older children (the rating is 12+) can go and enjoy together. There’s limited violence; limited swearing and sexual innuendo; and no sex (save for the Hitler youth in the bathroom!). But there is a whole lot of sleuthing fun to be had. Bravo Mr Johnson, bravo!
For that reason it comes with a bob-the-movie-man “Highly recommended” tag.
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi-1NchUqMA.
Loved it. I got used to the Daniel Craig accent quite quickly so it wasn’t a problem but it did mean when he slipped out of it for a second I noticed 🙈.
Clever, witty, well acted and thoroughly absorbing. Don’t know how long it was as I never looked at my watch. I suspect I’ll watch it again in future and see stuff I missed first time.
At least 4 stars and I’d definitely recommend a trip out to see it.
Hoorah! We agree. Yes, I would definitely like to watch this one again. I think it will grab one of my coveted Films of the Year slots. Thanks for commenting Trev.