BRINGING the classic whodunit genre back to theaters, director Rian Johnson delivers with Knives Out. The staple twists and turns of any good mystery are present, but Johnson manages to put his own spin on it (even if it is not as substantial as some would lead you to believe). From start to finish Knives Out delivers one of the most entertaining and surprisingly funny theater experiences of 2019.
Click here to watch the video version of this review.
Perhaps most important to note, Daniel Craig gives one of his most lighthearted performances to date. From the moment he opens his mouth a deep southern accent and a hammed up performance strikes you in the best of ways. Craig visually has a blast as the leading man, and the same goes for most of his cast mates. Ana de Armas gives a strong performance as the female lead. At times the nature of her character holds back the range of her performance, but she delivers every beat the story requires. Other names include Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Christopher Plummer; who all do a wonderful job of turning the audience against them and their family throughout the 2h 10min runtime. The only two characters to level complaints against are the children of the family, Meg Thrombey (played by Katherine Langford) and Jacob Thrombey (played by Jaeden Martell). They (and especially Jacob) are a bit one-note throughout the film, mainly used as mouthpieces for a low hanging joke or two.
Anyone worried the whodunit genre ran out of ideas years ago fear not, Johnson still has some tricks up his sleeve for Knives Out. And thankfully only one of these flourishes will have your eyes rolling (you will know it when you hear it). Of course, it follows the standard setup: a crime is committed, the suspects gathered, and then the detective goes to work. However, Johnson alters the standard flow of information, forcing a change in mindset for all of the mystery solvers in the audience. While the finale will not blow any minds, with most people re-calibrating and coming to the correct conclusion, the shakeup provides a large enough change to the formula.
Most of the humor in Knives Out lands quite well. While confined in the house, the characters play off of each other like any bickering family, making their squabbles quite relatable. Perhaps too relatable are the more ham-fisted political jabs. Some of them definitely work, but of course some of them also stick out as preachy. What makes the less worthy material more bearable is the fact that none of these confrontations are entirely one sided. With jabs coming from either end of the spectrum, bad jokes fall aside as simply failed attempts, rather than coming across as purely political grandstanding.
Technically, Knives Out is competently shot. Nothing stands out as too amazing or detrimental. Johnson frames scenes well and the soundtrack works for it. Again, there is not too much to be said here but for the type of film Knives Out is, there does not necessarily need to be.
Overall, Knives Out delivers on all it sets out to do. It brings the whodunit back to theaters with a smart, entertaining, and funny tale (with just a dash of political commentary to boot). The cast clearly loved bringing their characters to life, and anyone watching Knives Out will see why. Find a good group and go see Knives Out to enjoy one of the best theater experiences of 2019.
