Knives Out (2019)

Directed by: Rian Johnson | 130 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz, K Callan

Rian Johnson broke through in 2005 with the neo-noir mystery ‘Brick’, basically a tribute to hard-boiled detective writers like Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, but set in contemporary Los Angeles and with high school students. and students in the lead roles. The genre, which was at the height of its popularity in the 1930s-1950s, arose as a contradiction to the classic, mostly British murder mysteries of writers such as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Johnson embraces both detective styles and soon after ‘Brick’ he expressed the wish to also film an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery. That film should have come after ‘Looper’ (2012), but then ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ (2017) suddenly came his way. The more conservative fans of the sci-fi series couldn’t all appreciate his daring approach; the sauce of humour, surprising twists and unexpected character developments that characterize his work probably comes into its own in standalone films in which he has complete freedom. That’s why it’s nice that Johnson has picked up his plans for a murder mystery classic style after the Star Wars adventure and is back in top form with this contemporary take on the classic whodunnit ‘Knives Out’ (2019).

In a murder mystery, the intriguing location is half the battle. And that’s a must in ‘Knives Out’, because the victim, the wealthy crime writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), lives in a remote villa that is full of props from his detectives. Most striking is a gigantic circle of all kinds of knives and swords, which adorns his library like a true showpiece. In addition, his packed mansion has all kinds of unclear rooms and doors, creaky stairs and at least one secret entrance. Do you get a vision of the Cluedo game board? Great, hold that image. On the morning after his 85th birthday, Thrombey is found dead by his housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson). His throat has been cut. Detective Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) and cop (and fanboy) Wagner (Noah Segen) are called in to investigate the murder. They get help from the inscrutable private detective Benoit Blanc (a wonderfully over-the-top Daniel Craig, briefly detached from his James Bond straitjacket and with a fat Southern accent), a celebrity with a reputation to uphold. Fortunately, the all eccentric family members all stayed the night after the party, so they can easily be interrogated. They all appear to have a possible motive for the murder.

The family is a curious group of individuals, almost all of whom are after Harlan’s fortune. Daughter Linda (Jamie-Lee Curtis) is a successful real estate agent and the apple of her father’s eye. She is married to Richard (Don Johnson) and has one son, Hugh aka Ransom (Chris Evans), who is known as the black sheep of the family. Harlan’s son Neil passed away several years ago, but his daughter-in-law, yoga guru Joni (Toni Collette, hilarious), still maintains a warm bond with the family, and her college-age daughter Meg (Katherine Langford) attends her grandfather’s birthday party. Walt (Michael Shannon, strong as always) is Harlan’s youngest son; he manages the publishing house of his father’s books. He is married to Donna (Riki Lindhome) and together they have a teenage son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell), who just checks his phone all day. Harlan’s ancient mother (K ​​Callan) – no one knows exactly how old she is or if she’s even aware of what’s going on around her – also rummages around the villa somewhere, and finally there’s Martha (Ana de Armas) , a nurse who takes care of Harlan and in fact knows him best because she is the only one who camps near him every day. All are questioned by Blanc, because he rules out that Harlan’s death is suicide, as Elliot thinks.

A murder case and a room full of strange guys as potential perpetrators; ‘Knives Out’ not only exudes the delightful (nostalgic) atmosphere of classic murder mysteries such as ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (Sidney Lumet’s 1974 that is, not Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 remake because it took itself a lot. more seriously), the hilarious ‘Murder by Death’ (1976) and ‘Death on the Nile’ (1978); Johnson also pays tribute to the brilliant mix of mystery and humor in those films and the perfect use of the talents of a star cast. What a joy it must have been for both cast and crew to make this film! Daniel Craig goes all out in his role as a wacky master detective; his Louisiana (?) accent is wonderfully alienating because we expect a detective with a British (or possibly French) accent. And so Johnson plays more with our expectations; one twist follows another and almost every suspect has a motive, but the film never goes off the rails. Only the political discussions could have been left out because they hold things up a bit. On the other hand, the fact that Nurse Martha is an immigrant adds just that edge to the whole thing. And just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, things turn out a little differently.

With its star cast, visual ingenuity and ingenious plot, ‘Knives Out’ is highly entertaining. Of course most of the characters are over the top and the denouement of the mystery doesn’t really come as a surprise, but the road there is pure enjoyment. The fun jumps off the screen!