Knives Out Is a Gleefully Sharp-Edged Mystery

Despite being a mystery film that literally shows footage from Murder, She Wrote, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out is more of its own thing than a whimsical dose of whodunit nostalgia. Johnson tinkers and toys with the genre enough to find his own voice within a murder story while also delivering just the right winks for such a project. Wonderfully dark in its comedy and fervently fast-paced, this tale has enough teeth to let its assembled ensemble shine brightly.

From left to right: Donna (Riki Lindholm), Walt (Michael Shannon), Meg (Katherine Langford), Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan), Joni (Toni Collette), Ransom (Chris Evans), Great Nana (K Callan), Jacob (Jaeden Lieberher), Lt. Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield), Richard (Don Johnson), and Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) in Knives Out. Claire Folger © 2018 MRC II Distribution Company L.P. All rights reserved.

Take, for example, how brilliantly Daniel Craig is presented in the film as Detective Benoit Blanc. He has a Southern drawl and a peculiar fascination with the case of who murdered the rich old crime writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). He takes his job seriously but also takes moments to appreciate the quirks of the family. Of course, he suspects foul play given that Thrombey’s supposed suicide occurred the night of his birthday when the whole family was present. There’s an inheritance at stake, and everyone has a bit of an axe to grind with the old man, who had had enough of his dysfunctional family’s dysfunctions.

Who committed the murder I of course will not say here. I almost don’t want to talk too much about the characters at all, if only to preserve the twists. The performances, however, cannot be overlooked. Chris Evans plays against his charming Captain America persona as the laughing heckler of his bickering relatives; late to parties and not very interested in cordial conversation, he’s having the most fun watching his clan crumble. Jamie Lee Curtis is in no mood to talk to the police following the death of her dear dad, making her a powerhouse of paranoia. Michael Shannon brings a great mixture of desperation and intimidation. Ana de Armas contributes an almost silent charm as the well-meaning caregiver. Toni Collette leans hard into the new-age liberal, while Don Johnson finds himself on the other end of the spectrum with his troubling traditional values.

Ana de Armas as Marta. Claire Folger © 2018 MRC II Distribution Company L.P. All rights reserved.

The film not only makes plenty of room for all the actors to bring their A game but also keeps the pace perfectly brisk. I particularly enjoyed how the first few scenes are slickly edited to present a sort of fast-paced Rashōmon that bring us up to speed on the household with a swirling of truths, half-truths, and flat-out lies. The many twists keep the audience guessing with just enough clues delivered in the dialogue and footage to give you a hint but never make one snap their fingers with an annoying “I’ve got it!” to ruin the movie. The humor is just self-aware enough to never draw the eyes too close to that breakable fourth wall. It’s a film that takes the care to stage a believable car chase amid the mystery but isn’t above having the characters state that it was the weakest car chase ever.

Though Knives Out has a brilliantly giddy tone, it holds nothing back. When the family bickers about politics, it’s not in a vacuum; it feels real to an almost eerie degree that reflects a believably contentious Thanksgiving gathering. When the evils of the family are revealed, they’re more relatable than cartoonish, though their outlandish behavior is pretty priceless. And when this film ultimately wants to push its theme of eating the rich, it whips out a bib and digs in deep. It’s that unflinching approach that not only makes Knives Out a lot of fun but also packs a punch. In a year that has already seen a number of other eat-the-rich stories, this film takes perhaps the most glee staging a compelling and darkly comedic mystery around the theme.

Daniel Craig, LaKeith Stanfield, and Noah Segan as Benoit Blanc, Lieutenant Elliott, and Trooper Wagner. Claire Folger © 2018 MRC II Distribution Company L.P. All rights reserved.