This is a modern take on a classic mystery setup: an older gentleman (Christopher Plummer) is murdered in his country estate, and there are plenty of suspects, each with possible motives for committing the crime. Into this atmosphere comes detective Benoit Blanc, (Daniel Craig) a master detective who has been hired to solve the crime. In addition to this mystery, he also is faced with a related question: who hired him in the first place? To aid him in solving the crime, he enlists the help of Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), the deceased gentleman’s nurse, who has an uncontrollable physical reaction to lying.
There are a lot of things I could say about this movie—about the eclectic cast of suspects, each one of which is unique and interesting, or the absolutely brilliant dialogue, or the intricately woven, well-paced plot and satisfying resolution. And then there’s Craig’s incredible performance as Blanc, which would be a showstopper by itself. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, and, I’m pleased to report, makes full use of the color palette, as opposed to that washed-out greyish-blue that’s so prevalent in modern movies.
Honestly, I could go on at length about so many things in Knives Out, but it would feel like taking a beautifully assembled jigsaw puzzle apart piece-by-piece to do so. The beauty of it is in the full effect of the finished product, and audiences deserve to see it all fall into place in the film’s own time. This movie is so fresh, so energetic, and so much fun to watch that it doesn’t need a critic’s eye to analyze or interpret. It’s just a good old-fashioned detective yarn that’s a pleasure to watch.
One thing I will say is that this is how you do an homage to a particular style or genre of story. If you like the classic murder mystery tales, you don’t need to “reboot” or “modernize” Poirot or Holmes; you just need to tell a good story of your own that follows the same principles Christie or Doyle used. That’s what Knives Out is, and it’s wonderful. One of the best movies I’ve seen in years.
Saw this movie during the holidays. You liked it more than me. 😉
I can definitely see that if you didn’t grow up loving detective stories like I did, it wouldn’t feel like as much of a treat.
And I’ve become somewhat of a bah humbug with most movies these days.
And here I thought that was my job! 😀
Nah. I think I’m the original in this space.
My wife is the Old School Murder Mystery expert in our house and through her collection of books she’s introduced me to some classic films, this one sounds just right. Time to order a DVD.
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
We’re pre-ordering the DVD.
Your review is good enough for me Berthold! 👍
Watched it some time ago, it was well done.
Glad you thought so too. 🙂
I’d forgotten about Knives Out. I know some in my extended family watched it, but I didn’t hear back on what they thought. Thanks for sharing your review – it sounds excellent!
I think if you like mysteries, you will love it. 🙂
Oh, good. I run a mystery book club at my library job. I don’t know if there’s a book version, but we are getting a streaming service, so maybe the group can watch it!