Movie Review: Knives Out

“When people get desperate… the knives come out.” Primed for a Thanksgiving release, Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson, is a whodunit with a special twist. Johnson, who is just coming off of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, absolutely nails it with a stunning film that both grounds itself by speaking to the moment while remaining timeless as well. Supported by a witty script and an even wittier cast, Knives Out is compelling, suspenseful, and mysterious, as one would expect from such a film. As a fan of films centered around family drama, I had a ball at this particular film. Johnson’s choices here are tame in comparison to his previous work, but here it seems to work in his favor. Johnson takes the structure of whodunits past and adds his own elements to them, using fast paced dialogue and framing the Thrombey Mansion in a beautiful way, such that the foreboding house looms over the property, dark and mysterious from the outside, yet within is revealed to be bright, warm, and colorful. Much the same can be said of the film itself. What largely appears to be a dark mystery thriller chock full of petty family scraps is actually a humorous and pleasant story with a mystery murder at its center.

When Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his upstairs study, the Thrombey family comes together to grieve the loss of their beloved patriarch. Upon the arrival of detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), Harlan’s death goes from confirmed suicide to speculated murder and no one is free from suspicion. Johnson’s script is filled to the brim with archetypal characters; the bratty-trust-fund grandson, the gold-digging widow, the liberal college student, and the headstrong siblings. At the center of this cast is Marta Cabrera (Ana De Armas), the nurse who spent most of her days caring for Harlan Thrombey. Johnson takes these characters and modernizes them, tying in various modern-day conversations and struggles to make the characters relevant and entertaining.

Ana De Armas in her role as Marta Cabrera is a gem. Both her character and performance are refreshing to witness. Her calm demeanor contrasts and balances the chaotic and uptight energy of the Thrombey family. With such a potent cast, it’s difficult to pinpoint the standouts. Besides Armas, Chris Evans as Hugh ‘Ransom’ Thrombey is a welcome switch up from his time as ‘Captain America’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Evans brings his all with this new role, embracing the role of the spoiled grandson leeching off of his family’s wealth. Surprisingly, Evans seems quite comfortable in this abrasive character. Jamie Lee Curtis is a personal favorite, lighting up the screen whenever she appears. Her character, Linda Drysdale, is brash, confident, and at times, surprisingly funny. The daughter of Harlan Thrombey, she very much comes across as the all-business-all-the-time aunt who can’t seem to relax. While the cast does an overall fantastic job, the acting is what keeps the movie going at times, rather than the script or cinematic elements. Pacing becomes an issue roughly a third into the film but picks back up towards the last third. The payoff is indeed worth it, but there are moments when the actors are spitting lines at each other that feel like they’re missing some sort of context. The script is stuffed with snappy one-liners, but there are scenes in which that’s all the actors are given to work with, leading to a drag in the film’s pacing.

From the costumes to the production design, Knives Out is a stunning movie to watch simply for the visuals. The decadent Thrombey Mansion looms over a hill somewhere in the woods of Massachusetts, just as Harlan’s death does for the duration of the film. While Knives Out is categorized as a ‘whodunit’, Johnson’s choices steer the film away from the confines of the genre early on in the movie, ultimately harming the film in the process, albeit minimally. After reflecting on the film, I would consider it a whodunit, but a loose one at that. Regardless of what it is or isn’t, what I believe it to be is a well-crafted and well-acted film to be watched with your family. As the holiday season comes into full focus, it’s my recommendation that this film be reserved for an outing during a family gathering. In a year in which a good movie is a hard thing to come by, Knives Out is a refreshingly funny, entertaining, and suspenseful film that will have you itching to see it again.

Rating: 8/10