Knives Out: Rian Johnson's 21st Century Whodunit
Knives Out is a perfectly constructed whodunit movie by director Rian Johnson. The movie is a revamped murder mystery with so many clues and turns it keeps you guessing until the very end. Daniel Craig plays the lead detective who was anonymously tipped to solve the mystery of the death of the patriarch of the Thrombey family.
The film features an ensemble cast of Chris Evans, Toni Colette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Lakeith Stanfield and many more stars. Each actor takes on their role and their chemistry plays well between one another. They are able to bounce off one another in each scene and it feels like they are an actual family. The family is celebrating the birthday of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey who is found dead right after his party. The suspects of his death are the Thrombey clan. They each embody a stereotype but as the clues get messier their performances get deeper. The actors are having fun with their outrageous characters set in the huge antique home of Harlan filled with mementos from his crime novels.
In the middle of this wealthy, messy family is Harlan's nurse, Marta. She is the closest to Harlan and also posses the inability to tell a lie. This causes her to puke anytime she isn't truthful. This makes her an ally to Daniel Craig's detective. Ana de Armas is able to shine and carry the film with her kind hearted Marta. The film revolves around her character and her interactions with both the Thrombey clan and the detectives. The dynamic between Craig and her is enjoyable to watch and heightens the madness of the murder mystery.
This film succeeds because audiences constantly feel that they have solved the case as more clues are revealed. There are moments you think it is over but it keeps going and truths continue to be exposed as the story goes on. Knives Out is an unpredictable journey with a satisfying ending. The whodunit is updated to fit the world of the 21st century making it realistic and believable to audiences while encompassing all the traits of a murder mystery. In the midst of the film's intricate plot to figure out the culprit it also shines a light on the super rich. The Thrombeys embrace Marta as own of their own but once her main connection to them is gone they make points to constantly emphasize she will never be like them. She is the help.
Rian Johnson has proved himself with this 21st century whodunit. The film is a crowd-pleaser and keeps audiences engaged to the very end to find out the culprit. There are many moments filled with laughter and shock as the details of the murder unfold. This is a winner.