Knives Out opened on Thanksgiving and I could not wait. I love mysteries in books and film and the trailer looked so good especially with its cast. Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer and more. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) fame and another worthwhile mystery – Brick (2005), the story is obviously styled after Agatha Christie. Rian Johnson has referenced her in interviews. Nothing more thrilling in a mystery setting than a large, stately manor with scores of rooms crammed with objets d’art, stuffed animals, books, fireplaces, and bickering relatives.
Knives Out is about the death of Harlan Thrombey an internationally famous mystery writer who’s written hundreds of novels translated in multiple languages. He’s the patriarch of a family who’s gathered for his 85th birthday at his manor. The morning after the party Harlan is discovered dead in his study by his housekeeper. Appears to be a suicide where he’s cut his own throat, but did he? What’s surprising about the film is you quickly find out how he died and even who did it, however nothing’s as it seems. Is the person revealed as the responsible party truly the killer? Enter the police in the team of Lt. Elliott, Trooper Wagner, and the “famous” detective Benoit Blanc. Daniel Craig is Benoit and he’s played with a southern accent which is interesting in itself as the cast isn’t southern. A lot of fun in the film is watching this family twist and turn themselves out in their interviews with the police. No one tells the truth and everyone has a motive. Harlan was a dominant personality and he controlled the family through his wealth and this is a greedy bunch.
Photo Credit: Claire Folger/Lionsgate
All of the stars are great, but there are standout performances. Ana de Armas is perfect in her role as Marta, Harlan’s nurse and possible murderer. Whether she did it or not, it’s soon revealed that she is the sole beneficiary of Harlan’s will so the family is dead set on making sure she’s guilty. I’d never heard of this actress. I think it’s easy to predict that she’ll be appearing in more films as she’s amazing to watch. Toni Collette is always good in whatever role she plays. Jamie Lee Curtis is perfectly shellacked in her bright pantsuits, severe glasses, and hard ass attitude. Christopher Plummer is larger than life, and Daniel Craig plays the ever observant sleuth to a tee. Katherine Langford as Meg Thrombey is pretty good in a smaller role. I enjoyed Noah Segan as the police trooper who knows his reality tv bringing up Real Housewives and other shows at inappropriate moments.
Chris Evans plays Ransom Drysdale, Harlan’s grandson and Jamie Lee Curtis’ son, and he obviously picked this role as a polar opposite to his famous Captain America persona. Ransom is everything Steve Rogers is not. Crass, selfish, calculating, greedy, and smooth. There’s a memorable scene where he takes Marta to a pub for beers and you can’t help but be mesmerized by him in a fisherman’s sweater. His sweater has become a social media sensation since he is very pretty to look at in it.
Page Six Style had some social media comments on the sweater:
“The only thing I will say about ‘Knives Out’ is that, upon seeing Chris Evans in a sweater, the girl next to me gasped and said very softly and tenderly, ‘Sweater,'” Decider’s Anna Menta tweeted after an early screening.
Writer R. Eric Thomas similarly couldn’t get enough of the actor’s knitwear, tweeting, “Very grateful to have finally seen myself represented on screen this weekend in the form of Chris Evans’ sweater which, like me, was ‘artfully distressed’ and ‘distracting’ and ‘clinging to Chris Evans for dear life.'”
For his part, Evans has refused to take any credit for the response to his costume, telling Extra TV, “Oh yeah, well, you know. It’s hard to look bad in a cable-knit sweater.”
I enjoyed it and I’ll watch it again when it comes to my tv. You find out whodunnit and still want to watch the story again.
More reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 99% rating
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knives_out
Roger Ebert
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/knives-out-2019
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/movies/knives-out-review.html
