Knives Out (2019)

Knives Out (2019)

7/10

Starring

Daniel Craig

Chris Evans

Ana de Armas

Jamie Lee Curtis

Michael Shannon

Christopher Plummer

Directed by Rian Johnson

Knives Out is not your ordinary thriller, it is an amazing obstacle course of a movie that takes all the possible leaps and jumps to make you just relish the time you spend seeing it.

This is Rian Johnson’s writing at its best. There is one thing Rian Johnson has been able to deliver in his writing of movies and that is: when you think the ending explains everything, wait there is a smaller doughnut hole missing. When the whole movie finally rounds up and the final missing piece fits you are left with a huge, “say what!!!”

Rian Johnson has delivered this amazing feat in his last previous movies which he wrote and directed, Looper (2012) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). This movie he also wrote, directed plus co-producing it.

Filled with an ensemble cast, the plot centers on the Thrombeys, a wealthy family whose wealth stems from head of the family Harlan Thrombey. He invites his family to his mansion for his 85th birthday party. The next morning, Harlan is found dead by his housekeeper. Apparently having slit his own throat.

The police are called in and based on their findings and all the evidence around Harlan’s death is a suicide.

But then someone hires famed private detective Benoit Blanc to investigate. This person hired Blanc anonymously, which makes Blanc to believe that his suicide has more story to tell than what is glaring obvious. So with Blanc having the confidence of the detectives involved, he questions the family and gets to know them and starts to work on the case trying to solve what is a suicide.

Things get more weird when we get to see what really went down at the party. We get to know what happened through flashbacks.

The movie cast some powerful actors which delivered just as powerful a performance to make you just sit back and enjoy the ride of a fantastic movie. The performance of Ana de Armas is something you have to see to enjoy. She seemed to be enjoying herself in this movie, even though her role was that of someone who is always almost close to tears.

Knives Out was released to critical acclaim. The screenplay, direction, and acting is something you will love. At the box office the movie has been hugely successful making over $220 million against a $40 million budget.

It received Golden Globe nominations in the Musical or Comedy categories for Best Motion Picture, Best Actor for Craig, and Best Actress for de Armas.

Could this movie start another set of movies starring Craig as Blanc the P.I. who gets involved in weird cases? I don’t know, but as long as Johnson is willing to write such powerful script, I hope so.