A good movie murder mystery is hard to come by these days. That’s what makes the arrival of Knives Out so celebrated. It seems that audiences adore that subgenre of film, explaining why the just-OK Murder on the Orient Express became a box office blockbuster. It also lies at the heart of why anticipation for the latest from Rian Johnson shot through the roof when that first Knives Out trailer dropped.
If folks had fun with the 2017 Kenneth Branagh/Agatha Christie sleuth-centric flick, just wait until they feast their eyes on the latest from Johnson. With its stellar cast, wicked twists and turns, and all-around wholehearted captivating fun, Knives Out lives up to the hype and even exceeds it.
There had to be something truly spellbinding on Johnson’s written page to compel so many talented thespians to toss their hat in the ring for an electric, age-old, who-done-it.
The livelihood of the fierce family at our story’s core was built around its patriarch. Harlan Thrombey is the highest selling murder-mystery author of all-time. His kids are quick to point that out after he perishes and local detectives are joined by a private investigator of some so-called “acclaim,” Benoit Blanc (007 himself, Daniel Craig). He’s a southern fried sleuth whose presence after Harlan commits suicide immediately causes the tension meter to increase. There he is, sitting behind detective Lieutenant Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield of Get Out) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan). He’s piercingly hitting a single high octave note on the piano next to him, all while occasionally flipping a coin in the air and catching in his hand. Slowly, for a supposedly suicide, Harlan’s kin start to question Blanc’s reason for being in their home in the wake of such a tragedy.
One by one, the clan is interviewed by the police—Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis), her husband Richard (Don Johnson), her brother Walt Thrombey (Michael Shannon) and sister Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette) recall the events of the last 12 to 15 hours. They had gathered the evening before to celebrate Harlan’s big 85th birthday. Linda and Richard’s son Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans) is a trust fund kid without the trust fund. His entitlement precedes his presence, which isn’t often at first … just one element Johnson utilizes to create doubt around a character, to masterful means.
Then, there’s Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), who is devastated at her charge’s killing himself. She was Harlan’s nurse and had become a part of the family in the years of their employ.
How exactly is a slit your throat suicide not an open and closed case of one killing oneself? Immediately, Blanc suspects foul play. He admits openly that he has no basis for this, but that his gut has a hole burning in it due to his sleuth-sense. Something is wrong. Thus, viewers share his feelings too. The filmmaker manages to corral a theater going audience into one unit whose goal is to untangle this mystery, thread by thread. It’s a stunning achievement by Johnson. These days, viewers are merely that, passive witnesses to cinematic storytelling. Beyond the aesthetic of watching movies on the big screen, in the dark, there is a magic to seeing the art of film with others. It has everything to do with that intangible shared experience. Intangible in that a screenwriter and director can never know exactly how a tale is going to resonate, much less cull an audience reaction that brings about a celebration of mutual moments.
In Knives Out, we gasp at those seismic plot turns while simultaneously laughing out loud at some seriously smart dark humor. That all emanates when true to their core, three-dimensional characters are inhabited by actors and actresses who are doing more than playing a persona. Each one of Johnson’s ensemble got to the core of their respective souls. Which is extraordinarily in that it was achieved in a way that required little screen time. It was immediate and ever present. For example, Evans’ Ransom, who already had us raising an eyebrow at his unique and potentially descriptive moniker. There is so little known about him, other than what the storyteller decides we need to know. As such, he manipulates audiences’ minds in a way that we are ripe for the twists and turns that are undoubtedly going to follow.
Speaking of twists and turns, any good murder mystery utilizes them in a manner that not only pushes the plot, but also keeps its viewers guessing. Knives Out does that brilliantly. Just when you think you have it figured out, it slams on the breaks and peels out in a different direction. The twists are believable, rooted in a reality that Johnson has firmly established. Johnson’s film is an exercise in letting a movie take control of your sense of time and mind. Its enjoyment factor depends on it. It is not a difficult endeavor by any means as the filmmaker grabs you by the lapels in its opening moments and honestly doesn’t let you go until you’re halfway home!
The cast is riveting, top to bottom. It’s hard to know who to salute for standing out. Given that he’s central to the entire endeavor, Craig’s detective is truly something else. The accent, the insight and simply his uncanny feel for when something is amiss is all carried off by the Bond actor in a way that couldn’t be more of a brighter star if it exploded. Of course, he’s fiction, but let’s just say this, if something nefarious ever occurred to me, I would want his character investigating my demise.
Of the familial folks, they are all embodied by actors who continually turn in great work, from Curtis’ command of her self-made daughter of a self-made millionaire father to Shannon’s smarmy son. His concern that his father is going to replace him as overseeing the publishing empire pop started, could be conjecture or spot-on. In the hands of the Oscar nominee, his desperation comes through, but it’s subtle. Then again, everyone seems to have had a reason to worry about the whims of the family’s patriarch as his desire to have children and kin who will not have their wealth bestowed upon them is firmly established. Depending on who is delivering the lines, each member of the family could be the culprit … if there even is one! Don Johnson’s character fits right in with this family, even though he married into it. The Miami Vice veteran has been slaying it of late on screens both large and small. It’s fantastic to see what he does with this mysterious role. He also has been given a motive. Here’s the thing … the way that the writer-director has written all these characters and woven them into the tapestry that is Knives Out, our thoughts — in terms of who could have done it — could easily be manipulated. After all, Harlan’s demise was suicidal.
Then, there’s Armas’ Marta. Through flashbacks and within Johnson’s script, one can sense the fatherly influence that Harlan had over his nurse. She delivers a performance that is as nuanced as it is fiercely filled with mystery. Sure, the family has made her feel like a member, but like everything else in Knives Out, the viewer could take it all with a grain of salt. After all, the key to enjoying any murder mystery is to not believe everything you’ve witnessed or heard. Each actor plays perfectly into that scenario, and none more than Armas.
In terms of Evans’ characterization, he clearly has a blast portraying someone who is a whole lot less likable than Captain America. The actor’s outside of Marvel work has been quite the Yin to Cap’s Yang and kept his thespian aspirations moving ever forward. Tackling a role like Ransom had to be liberating because in this landscape, everything is mysterious. Given the picture that Johnson has painted of the grandson of Harlan, anything—truly anything—is possible when it comes to what Ransom’s motives are, especially given his history with his grandfather.
Johnson has long been a favorite with his scripts and his camera. His 2005 big screen debut, Brick (starring frequent collaborator Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is the stuff of legend when it comes to a talent announcement. His futuristic mind-bender Looper also is a lesson in explosive creativity meeting a visual sense that elevates everything. He took a lot of heat from longtime fans for his work on The Last Jedi. It was a bold flick and The Movie Mensch saluted him immensely for what he achieved with that middle chapter in the newest Star Wars trilogy.
The news that he was writing an original murder mystery was met with great joy by this writer. His creativity knows no bounds. More importantly, his ability to craft layered characters that interweave in a manner that enriches us for experiencing their cinematic journey is uncanny. What he has achieved with his latest is nothing short of a movie miracle and firmly belongs in the upper echelons of the finest murder mystery movies of all-time. Yeah, I went there.
A good murder mystery keeps you guessing. Knives Out does something unique. Usually, once you know the all the answers, the “fun” is absent in a who-done-it. It is the rare film that practically begs for you to experience it repeatedly. I cannot wait to take in Johnson’s thriller once again. Like any great flick, there will be things that were missed upon successive viewings, but one thing will remain constant. The utter, unabashed joy that pulsates through our soul—yes, even knowing who did what, when and why—will remain contagious. Knives Out will be a must-own home video so it can be experienced it … heck, often.
Like Christie achieved with her sleuth Hercule Poirot, we hope that Craig’s Blanc finds his way back to the silver screen for future who-done-its. In the meantime, witness Knives Out and be prepared for having your heart race, your mind work overtime and to emerge from Johnson’s latest with the largest smile stuck to your face.
Grade: A