Year: 2019
Director: Rian Johnson
Country: US
Language: Emglish
My major complaint who Whodunnit? novels & movies is that the ending is either ridiculously obvious (it was the shady character all along!) or unfairly hard to detect (it was the random character we're throwing in because we desperately need a twist!) Knives Out (2019) is a clever, comedic take on the Agatha Christie formula wherin a crime is committed among wealthy elitists and its up to a remarkably intelligent detective to solve it.
In Knives Out, renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate.
Playing with the tropes and conventions of the murder mystery, Rian Johnson's picture is both a satire of the genre and an enquisite example of how to do them correctly. Knives Out etches a tale that is more than entertainment; the characters reflect 2019 America and racial prejudice that derives from class division. The Brazillian maid is the #1 suspect and, as the film goes on, even the most liberal of family members turn on her.
Marta's (Ana de Armas) place in this film reminds me of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) in Alfonso Cauron's Roma (2018). They are both told that they are a part of the family, but they aren't really a part of it. They are treated like an outsider when its convenienct for the family.
Containing a remarkable ensemble cast, which helps in not revealing the villain, the actors fine performances are made even better with a clever and slick script filled with scathing dialogue. Plenty of this picture is written to subert expectations in a humourous way; Benoit Blanc, a clearly french name, happens to have the thickest southern drawl you'll see outside Foghorn Leghorn.
Social critique, humor and suspence blend together to create a fun picture that will bring about interest in murder mysteries in a way that Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express (2017) failed to live up to. Knives Out is a great picture.
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