A Patriarch’s Birthday Becomes Deadly for a Bickering Family

From left: Katherine Langford, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis,
Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome,
and Jaeden Martell in "Knives Out"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Writer-director Rian Johnson is a filmmaker who has grown a talent for investing his audiences in mysteries that offer one surprise after another.  With his 2012 sci-fi thriller, “Looper,” he took us through a complex story involving time-travel, and with his 2017 film, “Star Wars: Episode VII - The Last Jedi,” Johnson kept his viewers guessing as to where the franchise mythology would go after the questions that were set up by the previous installment.

With that, it’s more than appropriate that he tackles a murder mystery for is movie, “Knives Out.”  It’s a film that’s packed with thrills, laughs, and a great cast, all of which make this a total blast and a terrific contribution to the whodunits that came before.

The movie follows a celebrated crime novelist who’s murdered in his house on the night of his 85th birthday.  Soon after, his family is asked by a detective to gather at the home, where each person explains their side of the story.

The cast comes equipped with a slew of first-rate actors, including Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey, the murder victim; Jamie Lee Curtis as Harlan’s daughter, Linda; Don Johnson as Linda’s husband, Richard; Michael Shannon as Harlan’s son, Walter; Toni Collette as Harlan’s daughter-in-law, Joni; and Lakeith Stanfield as Detective Lieutenant Elliot.  Despite all of these cast members sharing the screen, they each have their own moments that grab our attention and make an impression in our minds.  It’s a movie filled with conflicting personalities, and it’s so entertaining to see all of these characters interact with each other as the cast relishes the quick wit of the dialogue that they’re given.

Although there’s plenty of talent throughout the cast, there are some who manage to rise above the aforementioned ensemble members, such as Ana de Armas as Harlan’s kindhearted nurse, Marta, and Chris Evans as Harlan’s bratty grandson, Hugh.  However, true standout of the movie is Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc.  With Benoit’s southern-gentleman attitude and smooth-talking ways, Craig is determined to make you realize that there’s more his acting abilities than just playing James Bond.  The way in which Craig exhibits his character’s passion for finding clues helps to immerse you in the excitement of trying to decipher every little hint that you find.  Between his performance here and 2017’s “Logan Lucky,” it’s clear that Craig has much potential as a comedic actor, which proves that he will continue to have a great career outside of the Bond series.

Johnson’s screenplay does superb work in setting up the enticing mystery and getting you intrigued right away.  There are many characters that he has to introduce, but he pulls it off by having them arrive at the mansion, and then sitting them down one by one to speak with the detective and talk about who they are, their connections with Harlan, and their possible motives for the murder.  Once this portion of the movie is complete, we’re able to ponder a lot of the characters’ backstories as we try to figure out who might be responsible for Harlan’s death.

The film boasts a classic murder-mystery setup, but the direction in which the film goes gives you something a little different from what you would expect.  The story offers plenty of time for there to be enough surprises to keep us off of the scent of the truth, but it also provides enough setup for whatever revelation will come next.  There isn’t ever a time where the story drags because it always finds more layers of the mystery to peel back and expose the cause of the events.

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, who collaborated on all four of Johnson’s previous films (“Brick,” “The Brothers Bloom,” “Looper,” and “The Last Jedi”), provides a wonderful use of light and shadow in order to create an atmosphere of increasing tension and mystery.  This is most apparent for the scenes within Harlan’s mansion as Yedlin’s camera movements capture the many details of the home as it brings us into the many rooms and hallways that hold many secrets.

The production design by David Crank offers an intricate layout of the mansion that fits the essence of the murder-mystery narrative.  The spaciousness within the house and the big and small characteristics throughout add to the enjoyableness of the plot as you try to absorb everything that the house is trying to show you and see if there’s anything of significance that can give you some semblance of a clue.   

Despite the abundance of information that Johnson has to provide us, he succeeds in keeping the film fast-paced, thanks to the energy of his cast, clever writing, and the engaging nature of discovering what the story is hiding from you.  He makes sure that you become obsessed in unraveling the narrative as you go from one turning point to another, having your heart beat faster as you sense the truth on the verge of revealing itself.

With Johnson’s enthusiasm for creating this entertaining puzzle of a movie, the suspense in “Knives Out” will have you teetering on an edge as thin as that of a blade. 

Grade: A