Movie Review: Knives Out
Knives Out Devesh Sharma, January 18, 2020
| Cast: | Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer |
| Direction: | Rian Johnson |
| Genre: | Drama, Comedy, Thriller |
| Duration: | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is a private detective investigating the death of a renowned author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Harlan was a celebrated writer of mysteries and went on to build a literary empire. The publishing arm us now handled by his son Walt (Michael Shannon). Walt is angry about the fact that he hasn't been given powers to broker a deal for film and TV rights of his father's works. He feels more money can be earned through them. He's married to Donna (Riki Lindhome) and has a son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell), who has neo-Nazi sympathies. Harlan's daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a real estate mogul who is proud of being self-made though her business was kick-started through a million-dollar loan by her father. She's married to Richard (Don Johnson), who lives off his wife's money and is unhappy about it. They have a son, Ransom (Chris Evans), who is again a wastrel. He has a daughter-in-law named Joni (Toni Collette), who is a self-help guru but in reality, she and her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford) have been living off Harlan's riches. Benoit's investigation leads him to believe that Harlan had changed his will and was in the process of cutting off all his relatives from it. In the light of this finding, our bumbling Sherlock, helped by his equally inept Watson -- Harlan's young caregiver Marta (Ana de Armas), who had a tendency to barf whenever she utters a lie -- attempts to identify the killer.
As said earlier, the film is a mish-mash of genres. So you have the upper class voicing their support for the plight of the immigrants without actually knowing where Marta came from. In fact, everyone naming a different nation as her country of origin is one of the running jokes of the film. The inner workings of a dysfunctional family are brought into the play as well. Skeletons stumble out on a regular basis as the plot unfolds. Everyone is exposed to be a hypocrite, except Marta, who retains her humanity amidst the madness.
The casting is superb, to say the least. Chris Evans cast as a rake is a departure from his goody-two-shoes role as Captain America. Don Johnson doesn't say much but reveals all through his body language. The last scene where he understands his wife has come to know of his indiscretions stays with you. Ana de Armas is a delight as the girl who can't lie. Toni Collette and Jamie Lee Curtis too have brought their A-game to the film. Amidst all the acting talent, Daniel Craig stands tall as the mild-mannered detective, having a ball affecting a thick accent and idiosyncrasies associated with classical detectives, giving one of the best performances of his career.
The film does falter a bit towards the second half but that's because director Rian Johnson wanted to employ every known trope of the detective novel in his film. You're hooked till the very end, nevertheless, thanks to the nostalgia and humour that the film dishes out in buckets...
Trailer : Knives Out
Neil Soans, November 28, 2019, 5:30 PM IST
Knives Out Story: When a rich crime novelist is killed after his 85th birthday, his entire family becomes a suspect.
Knives Out Review: Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy writer, is turning 85. His eclectic and eccentric family has become fragmented, but Harlan believes he can reunite them at his birthday. After the entire family gathers at his mansion to celebrate him, he is found dead the very next morning. When the police begin to investigate his death along with private investigator Benoit Blanc, (Daniel Craig), many family secrets come to light. There are now multiple murder suspects, and they must figure who is responsible for Harlan's death.
Inspired by the plethora of Agatha Christie novels, writer and director Rian Johnson knows how to stage a murder mystery. Put an affluent old man at loggerheads with his family. Make each member intriguing, and give them reasonable cause – revenge, greed, spite, or all the above. Throw in a peculiar detective to solve the case, and watch the mayhem unfold.
But Johnson isn’t content with the plot playing out in predictable ways. Instead, his characters are so mesmerising that you often get sidetracked, by design. After all, these aren’t just big-name actors; they’re all competent performers. Daniel Craig completely throws you off with a thick and heavy Southern accent that could quickly go over the top. But Craig knows how to reel it in, in a masterful performance. We’re used to seeing Chris Evans play a heroic persona, but this time he’s often despicable as Ransom Robinson. The underrated Toni Collette gives a unique take on Joni Thrombey, Harlan’s daughter-in-law. The resurgence of Jamie Lee Curtis’s career continues as Linda, Harlan’s eldest daughter. However, ‘Knives Out’ is probably going to be the breakthrough film for Ana de Armas with her impressive performance.
As with most ensemble casts, some actors don’t get as much screen time as they should, and the problem persists here. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say they all do their roles ample justice. That’s because the writing is outstanding, infused with a surprising amount of unexpected humour. While watching a murder mystery, everyone is trying to solve the case, but Rian Johnson will catch most of the audience off guard. He has created an extremely thrilling crime drama, that uses the collective skills of its excellent cast to great effect. ‘Knives Out’ makes a strong case as one of the best films of the year and a definitive murder mystery for the ages.
