KNIVES OUT
****
Director: Rian Johnson
Screenwriter: Rian Johnson
Principal cast:
Daniel Craig
Chris Evans
Ana de Armas
Jamie Lee Curtis
Toni Collette
Christopher Plummer
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 130 mins
Australian release date: 28 November 2019
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney, on 25 November 2019.
Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson, is a modern-day whodunnit very much in the vein of an Agatha Christie plot. Starting with a vaguely similar premise to the recent Ready Or Not, where a well-off family are drawn together to protect ‘their’ inheritance, we embark on a journey of murder and mayhem that keeps its audience guessing until the very end. Exhibiting all the usual tropes of the medium (Gothic mansion, multiple characters, eccentric detective) and utilising the talents of a spectacular cast, Johnson has guaranteed box office success with his thoroughly entertaining caper movie, released just in time for the festive season. It marks a return to the mind-twisting films that he obviously enjoys making (think Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper), after his recent venture into space with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
When renowned crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his study after his 85th birthday, a modern-day Hercule Poirot, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), is mysteriously employed to interview the writer’s dysfunctional extended family and members of his staff in order to establish the truth of what really happened. Initially, the death is thought to be suicide by the local police detective (Lakeith Stanfield), but Blanc soon suspects that foul play has occurred and, of course, almost everyone has a possible motive for wanting the old man dead. Virtually all the potential suspects have something to hide and are quite prepared to lie to protect themselves, so the interviews get more involved as their stories intertwine and overlap and the various characters struggle to keep from revealing their true selves. What with warring siblings and in-laws and their respective spouses (Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Toni Collette), spoilt grandchildren (Chris Evans, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell), a put-upon housekeeper (Edi Patterson) and a loyal nurse-cum-assistant Marta (Ana de Armas), there are plenty of possibilities for Blanc to consider. Needless to say, red herrings abound.
I suspect that Johnson had great fun in writing the screenplay of Knives Out and plotting the various permutations and false leads it contains. It is, indeed, a fitting homage to that doyenne of murder mystery writers, Agatha Christie, albeit an updated one, and you can’t help but think that the lady would approve. The cast seem to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves with Johnson’s material, particularly Craig, who has great fun as Blanc, the anti-Bond, and his Kentucky Fried Southern accent; Collette is at her best as the arch, bitchy Joni, an Instagram ‘influencer’ who’s Harlan's daughter-in-law and has an accent almost as broad as Blanc’s; Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson are both excellent as the author’s oldest daughter and her husband, convinced that they will benefit big-time from her father’s will and not happy about having to answer questions about the family; Chris Evans relishes playing the obnoxious lay-about grandson Ransom, a far-cry from his more familiar Captain America nice-guy routine in the Marvel franchise; and the Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas brings beauty and a sense of wide-eyed innocence to her part as the faithful caregiver Marta.
There’s a key plot-point that emerged early in the film that didn’t quite ring true to this reviewer, so it took a little while to settle into the fun of it all. It was disconcerting and disappointing. Once that hurdle was overcome, however, and once you get to know the larger-than-life characters, it’s easy to forget such flaws and go with the flow of the film. Knives Out is great fun.
Screenwriter: Rian Johnson
Principal cast:
Daniel Craig
Chris Evans
Ana de Armas
Jamie Lee Curtis
Toni Collette
Christopher Plummer
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 130 mins
Australian release date: 28 November 2019
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney, on 25 November 2019.
Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson, is a modern-day whodunnit very much in the vein of an Agatha Christie plot. Starting with a vaguely similar premise to the recent Ready Or Not, where a well-off family are drawn together to protect ‘their’ inheritance, we embark on a journey of murder and mayhem that keeps its audience guessing until the very end. Exhibiting all the usual tropes of the medium (Gothic mansion, multiple characters, eccentric detective) and utilising the talents of a spectacular cast, Johnson has guaranteed box office success with his thoroughly entertaining caper movie, released just in time for the festive season. It marks a return to the mind-twisting films that he obviously enjoys making (think Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper), after his recent venture into space with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
When renowned crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his study after his 85th birthday, a modern-day Hercule Poirot, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), is mysteriously employed to interview the writer’s dysfunctional extended family and members of his staff in order to establish the truth of what really happened. Initially, the death is thought to be suicide by the local police detective (Lakeith Stanfield), but Blanc soon suspects that foul play has occurred and, of course, almost everyone has a possible motive for wanting the old man dead. Virtually all the potential suspects have something to hide and are quite prepared to lie to protect themselves, so the interviews get more involved as their stories intertwine and overlap and the various characters struggle to keep from revealing their true selves. What with warring siblings and in-laws and their respective spouses (Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Toni Collette), spoilt grandchildren (Chris Evans, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell), a put-upon housekeeper (Edi Patterson) and a loyal nurse-cum-assistant Marta (Ana de Armas), there are plenty of possibilities for Blanc to consider. Needless to say, red herrings abound.
I suspect that Johnson had great fun in writing the screenplay of Knives Out and plotting the various permutations and false leads it contains. It is, indeed, a fitting homage to that doyenne of murder mystery writers, Agatha Christie, albeit an updated one, and you can’t help but think that the lady would approve. The cast seem to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves with Johnson’s material, particularly Craig, who has great fun as Blanc, the anti-Bond, and his Kentucky Fried Southern accent; Collette is at her best as the arch, bitchy Joni, an Instagram ‘influencer’ who’s Harlan's daughter-in-law and has an accent almost as broad as Blanc’s; Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson are both excellent as the author’s oldest daughter and her husband, convinced that they will benefit big-time from her father’s will and not happy about having to answer questions about the family; Chris Evans relishes playing the obnoxious lay-about grandson Ransom, a far-cry from his more familiar Captain America nice-guy routine in the Marvel franchise; and the Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas brings beauty and a sense of wide-eyed innocence to her part as the faithful caregiver Marta.
There’s a key plot-point that emerged early in the film that didn’t quite ring true to this reviewer, so it took a little while to settle into the fun of it all. It was disconcerting and disappointing. Once that hurdle was overcome, however, and once you get to know the larger-than-life characters, it’s easy to forget such flaws and go with the flow of the film. Knives Out is great fun.