Knives Out - Review
Director: Rian Johnson,
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer
Having crafted one of the most highly-anticipated films of the decade, exploring a galaxy far far away, and endured the gruelling response from disgruntled Star Wars fans, Rian Johnson has embraced a story of a much smaller scale Knives Out, a self-penned, original story. The stakes - namely murder - are just as high but Johnson proves that you don't need lightsaber duels to make a relentlessly entertaining film.
Acclaimed murder-mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey turns 85, a milestone birthday, and hosts a party at his house where his family are all in attendance. However, the evening is tarnished when Harlan is found slain in his study and notorious detective Benoit Blanc is employed to uncover the truth about the death.
None of the Thrombey family are safe from Johnson's scathing and unflinching depictions, with the writer-director taking jibes at all of the characters regardless of their political beliefs or party preference. Their views and attitudes may differ but the shared privilege and gross sense of cultivated entitlement is the common thread that unifies them all. Harlan's eldest daughter Linda (Curtis) boasts about being a self-made success in business, failing to acknowledge the vital £1m contribution that her father made to her company's start-up. Walt (Shannon) publishes Harlan's highly-acclaimed crime novels and makes no attempt to establish a career independent of his father's empire and Harlan's vapid daughter-in-law Joni (Collette) accepts his money to support her daughter's education and her own influencer lifestyle.
The only person in the Thrombey patriarch's life who doesn't seek to take advantage of his wealth is his nurse Marta (Armas), a kind-hearted young woman who also acts as the millionaire's trusted confidant. Although hers is a less virtuoso role than the rest of the ensemble cast get to sink their teeth into, Armas absolutely steals the show and gives a star-making performance. Despite being the lesser known talent, the Cuban actress more than holds her own against the A-list and iconographic actors that she shares the screen with, including Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, an old-school detective and a campy character that Craig relishes - the actor has never been such a joy to watch.
Surrounded by a cast that are all performing at the top of their game, Rian Johnson has similarly produced his best effort to date. Evidently inspired by the work of Agatha Christie, hence the grand mansion in which the film primarily takes place and dialogue including "Something is afoot with this whole affair", Knives Out is rooted in the modern day. Technology such as iPhones are involved in moving the story forward and there are several references to recent pop culture phenomena, including Edgar Wright's Baby Driver and the broadway musical hit Hamilton. However, it's Johnson's political commentary that really signals the sign of the times. There is never any mention of Trump or the Republican administration, but there are explicit allusions to the effects of his policies and the divide it creates within families as well as across America.
Successfully uniting the traditional murder mystery with our modern day sensibilities, Knives Out is a deviously delicious whodunnit that Agatha Christie would have been proud to put her name to.
EB
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer
Having crafted one of the most highly-anticipated films of the decade, exploring a galaxy far far away, and endured the gruelling response from disgruntled Star Wars fans, Rian Johnson has embraced a story of a much smaller scale Knives Out, a self-penned, original story. The stakes - namely murder - are just as high but Johnson proves that you don't need lightsaber duels to make a relentlessly entertaining film.Acclaimed murder-mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey turns 85, a milestone birthday, and hosts a party at his house where his family are all in attendance. However, the evening is tarnished when Harlan is found slain in his study and notorious detective Benoit Blanc is employed to uncover the truth about the death.
None of the Thrombey family are safe from Johnson's scathing and unflinching depictions, with the writer-director taking jibes at all of the characters regardless of their political beliefs or party preference. Their views and attitudes may differ but the shared privilege and gross sense of cultivated entitlement is the common thread that unifies them all. Harlan's eldest daughter Linda (Curtis) boasts about being a self-made success in business, failing to acknowledge the vital £1m contribution that her father made to her company's start-up. Walt (Shannon) publishes Harlan's highly-acclaimed crime novels and makes no attempt to establish a career independent of his father's empire and Harlan's vapid daughter-in-law Joni (Collette) accepts his money to support her daughter's education and her own influencer lifestyle.
The only person in the Thrombey patriarch's life who doesn't seek to take advantage of his wealth is his nurse Marta (Armas), a kind-hearted young woman who also acts as the millionaire's trusted confidant. Although hers is a less virtuoso role than the rest of the ensemble cast get to sink their teeth into, Armas absolutely steals the show and gives a star-making performance. Despite being the lesser known talent, the Cuban actress more than holds her own against the A-list and iconographic actors that she shares the screen with, including Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, an old-school detective and a campy character that Craig relishes - the actor has never been such a joy to watch.
Surrounded by a cast that are all performing at the top of their game, Rian Johnson has similarly produced his best effort to date. Evidently inspired by the work of Agatha Christie, hence the grand mansion in which the film primarily takes place and dialogue including "Something is afoot with this whole affair", Knives Out is rooted in the modern day. Technology such as iPhones are involved in moving the story forward and there are several references to recent pop culture phenomena, including Edgar Wright's Baby Driver and the broadway musical hit Hamilton. However, it's Johnson's political commentary that really signals the sign of the times. There is never any mention of Trump or the Republican administration, but there are explicit allusions to the effects of his policies and the divide it creates within families as well as across America.
Successfully uniting the traditional murder mystery with our modern day sensibilities, Knives Out is a deviously delicious whodunnit that Agatha Christie would have been proud to put her name to.
EB
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