“Knives Out” Review
Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc (Right) deduces the true mystery in “Knives Out,” one of 2019’s standout films.
For my initial review from 2019, please check out this Northern Star Article.
If you look at my Top 100 Films List, you’ll notice that five films are from the year 2019 (eight if you count the three 2019 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). In my opinion, 2019 was one of the best years for film that I have ever seen with a spectacular wave of stories, like “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” “Parasite,” “Booksmart” and “The Irishman,” from newcomers as well as established filmmakers. Out of all these films, one that really stood out was “Knives Out” which gave audiences one of the best ensemble casts of recent years as well as completely revived interest in the original murder-mystery.
After a mystery writer named Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) dies under mysterious circumstances, famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) begins to investigate Harlan’s incredibly dysfunctional family for what he suspects to be “foul play.” Along with Harlan’s nurse Marta Cabrerra (Ana de Armas), who knows more about Harlan’s death than she’s willing to admit, the pair’s investigations result in both hijinks and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Director Rian Johnson, who previously helmed “Brick,” “Looper,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and some of the best episodes of “Breaking Bad,” is one of the most talented filmmakers in the field today mainly because of how cleverly he subverts audience expectations. When a film of his is coming out, chances are what you think is going to happen isn’t. While he’s always done this quite well, Johnson’s narrative tendencies work extremely well in the murder-mystery genre where the object is to not make a predictable plot.
What I love so much about “Knives Out” is how, within the first half of the film, it actually gives away who killed Harlan and it seems that the mystery is over. But there’s still a whole hour left, which means that there’s something else going on and there’s a hole within this case, “a donut” as Blanc says, that needs to be filled.
Benoit Blanc is a very memorable, classic sleuth on par with Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes and Daniel Craig perfectly alternates between being dramatic and comedic, especially with his thick Cajun accent. Unlike most detectives, who are clearly the smartest people in the room, Benoit Blanc appears to be inept with most of the characters in the film finding evidence for him, which makes the last twenty minutes of him figuring out the crime all the more funny.
Director Rian Johnson’s (Right) direction and screenplay subvert audience expectations while also making an engrossing mystery.
The murder-mystery is one of my beloved sub-genres with favorites including “Clue,” “Bad Times at the El Royale” and 1974’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” What all of these films have in common is that they have an outstanding ensemble cast whose interactions make up a good chunk of the film’s entertainment value. “Knives Out” is no exception and the Thrombey family is unbelievably funny in how despicable they are.
Standouts within the family include Harlan’s children; daughter Linda (Jaime Lee Curtis), whose husband Richard (Don Johnson) has been cheating on her, daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette), an annoying lifestyle guru who has secretly been stealing money from Harlan, and son Walt who has recently been fired from running Harlan’s publishing company Blood Like Wine.
As for the grandkids, they’re just as bad as the parents with Meg (Katherine Langford) seemingly having a conscience only to throw it out when her education is threatened and Jacob (Jaeden Martell) who, in the words of Richard, is “quite literally a Nazi” and, in Meg’s words, an “alt-right troll dipshit.”
And then there’s the sweater-wearing, cookie-eating Ransom (Chris Evans) who is so delightfully despicable as a character who loves to cause chaos whether it’s mocking his entire family for the idiots they are or telling them to “eat shit” repeatedly. Not only does he provide a lot of comedy, but his drive to show up the rest of the Thrombey clan make him one of the best characters in the film along with Benoit Blanc and Marta, the latter of which is my favorite character in the film.
Chris Evans’ portrayal of Ransom is mesmerizing, as is his comfy sweater, because of how enjoyably awful he is as a human being.
While most of Harlan’s relatives are obnoxious, stupid or straight-up terrible people, Marta is the one person in Harlan’s life who actually cared about him, starting off as his nurse and eventually striking up a friendship with the old man. However, the fact that Marta may have, in fact, inadvertently caused Harlan’s tragic demise complicates her character’s motivations as does the fact that her mother (Marlene Forte) is an undocumented immigrant and, if found out, her mother could be deported.
What makes Marta so interesting is the fact that she’s a genuinely good person, but is trying to cover up her involvement in what seems to be an unfortunate accident. While I was aware of Ana de Armas’ talent in films like “Blade Runner 2049,” “Knives Out” truly shows her talents and I’m excited to see her play Marilyn Monroe in 2022’s “Blonde” as well as see her team up with Daniel Craig again in “No Time To Die.”
Along with the film’s engaging story, what lies beneath is a powerful theme about immigrantion which floored me when I discovered it after watching the film for the third time in the theater. Sometimes a film is so good, it can steadily change after multiple viewings. Much like “Get Out,” which cleverly hid social commentary in what seemed to be a horror film, “Knives Out” shows how wealthy people all seem to respect working class people until their hard work starts to take away from their wealth.
When Marta’s hard work for and endearing friendship with Harlan results in her inheriting all of Harlan’s fortune instead of the Thrombey family, the family that once praised her work ethic turns on her. They’re so angry that she’s “stealing” what belongs to them that they forget that they didn’t earn one cent of that fortune and are merely riding the coattails of the family name. In the end, Marta wins because she stays true to her kindness even when presented with several opportunities to abandon her principles.
Marta’s (Ana de Armas) complex character makes her my favorite character of “Knives Out.”
Besides having a phenomenal script and an outstanding cast, the film is one of the most rich looking I have seen in a long time. As Detective Lieutenant Elliott (Lakeith Stanfield) says, Harlan “practically lives in a Clue board” and the production design is spectacular. Every frame of the film is dripping with atmosphere and the costuming also is full of brilliant looking coats, scarfs and sweaters which give an incredible fall aesthetic to “Knives Out.” Along with a fantastic score by Nathan Johnson and cinematography by Steve Yedlin, this is an incredible looking film.
This is just a perfect film for autumn because elements of it appeal to each month. The brown leaves and colder look appeal to September, the murder-mystery is perfect for October and Halloween. As for November, the fact that the film was released on Thanksgiving was brilliant because, not only did the film gross over $300 million, but even the most insane families are put to shame by the Thrombus. You think your family is nuts? Try living in a house with an alt-right Nazi child, selfish morons and a narcissitic Chris Evans.
The fact that the film was only nominated for one Academy Award, Best Original Screenplay, is just a testament to how great a year 2019 was for film. In any other year, this film would have been nominated in a majority of the categories. But the important thing is that the film was incredibly successful for a non-blockbuster upon release and has been steadily gaining in popularity among filmgoers.
What makes me excited is that the film is spawning two sequels, both being written and directed by Rian Johnson, both of which will be centered on new mysteries being solved by Benoit Blanc and are set to be released on Netflix. The first sequel has already finished filming and will star another impressive ensemble cast consisting of Craig, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Edward Norton, Janelle Monae and Kate Hudson. And when it is released, hopefully in 2022, you can bet I’ll be watching. However, it’s going to take a lot of effort to surpass “Knives Out.”
