Quote from Knives Out by Benoit Blanc
“This is a twisted web, and we are not finished untangling it, not yet.”
There are not major spoilers in this review!
It only took me two weeks to see Knives Out when it came out because I wasn’t willing to sit that close to the screen and it took me another two weeks to finally write this review. Here goes nothing, but the thrill might be gone now that 2020 is almost here. Knives Out is a comedy, crime, and drama movie with a running time of two hours and 10 minutes that is produced by Lionsgate, Media Rights Capital (MRC), and T-Street. The MPAA rating is PG-13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material. The screenplay is written and directed by Rian Johnson. The main actors include Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale, Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera, Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale, Michael Shannon as Walt Thrombey, Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale, Toni Collette as Joni Thrombey, LaKeith Stanfield as Lieutenant Elliott, Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey, Katherine Langford as Meg Thrombey, Jaeden Martell as Jacob Thrombey, Riki Lindhome as Donna Thrombey, Edi Patterson as Fran, Frank Oz as Alan Stevens, K Callan as Greatnana Wanetta, Noah Segan as Trooper Wagner, M. Emmet Walsh as Mr. Proofoc, Marlene Forte as Marta’s Mom, Raúl Castillo as Cop, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Hardrock (voice). This movie is about uncovering a successful writer’s death where everyone in his family appears to have some motive behind his death and the private detective hired to find the truth.
Family Sticks Together
Watch the Trailer to Knives Out
Paring Down the Movie With a Knife
Don’t get me wrong, the whole cast was great, but Daniel Craig, Don Johnson, and Ana de Armas were the actors/actress who made the movie shine with their performances. It wouldn’t have worked as well without the quirky detective, Benoit Blanc, or the solid relationship between Harlan Thrombey and Marta either. The story was great, in the sense that it had enough twists and turns, to keep your mind guessing. Maybe, I was tired that day, but I didn’t know who killed Thrombey until the end. I guess I missed all the cues, but to those who figured it out way before I did, kudos. I went into this movie basically knowing it was a “who done it” movie and expecting a good plot and that is what I got except better. Besides the great dialogue and pacing of the movie, I was envious of the production design. If I ever had the chance to live in a mansion, this is how I want it to be decorated. The production designer, David Crank, had the task with narrow deadlines of mirroring Harlan’s larger than life personality with the appearance of the mansion’s exterior as well as the interior possessions. For every piece of wooden furniture and relics collected over the years, Crank had to also seamlessly match the interior scenes built on a stage with actual locations. And another great message about this movie is the last scene, even though you find out the answers, it’s still a mess to sort out for everyone directly and indirectly involved.
Evaluation of Knives Out
For all the reasons I listed above, yes, I’m recommending this movie to adults. Again, Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, and Don Johnson had solid performances. The relationships and lack of between family remembers was what kept it entertaining. The father and son relationship of Harlan and Walt Thrombey was one of my favorites relating to family members. If money can be the root of all evil, then the anticipation of money can also be too. How far are you willing to go, and once you’re there, is it worth it and especially when you can’t undo something. This is what most everyone in the Thrombey family was asking themselves by the end. Some of them should’ve done things differently. Some of them should’ve been more assertive. Others should’ve kept their mouths shut. Seeing the family squabbles play out on screen is a part of why I saw this, finding the person(s) responsible for Harlan’s is the second, and the third is the comfort in knowing no family is perfect.
I rate Knives Out FOUR FINGERS of GREAT at 90%.
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