“Knives Out” (2019) Review

 “Knives Out”: arguably the most entertaining film of the year.





Directed by: Rian Johnson
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2:10
Review by: Livi Edmonson

What happens when you mix a wildly witty script with a tremendous director and an absolute A-list cast? The most original film of the year ---“Knives Out” --- happens. With a nearly perfect score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and a cast consisting of Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon and Christopher Plummer to name a few, the whodunnit flick tells the story of a crime novelist (Plummer) who dies on the night of his 85th birthday. When a detective (Craig) senses foul play from the author’s superficial family, that seem to only be using the elder for his wealth, he begins to investigate, eliminating zero suspects in the meantime. 


“Knives Out” can best be described as an Agatha Christie comedy. Audiences will get more than a dose of the typical mystery movie tropes that are so well known to the genre, all the while receiving a refreshing glimpse into a contemporary world of consumerism and deceit. Perhaps the greatest thing the film has to offer is its all-star cast. I mean, come on: you read the list… How can you even resist this movie?

Daniel Craig steals the show as the clue-cracking Detective Benoit Blanc with his southern drawl and idiotically hilarious one-liners. Toni Collette delivers a not-so-serious performance as a “lifestyle guru/influencer” that audiences are sure to fall in love with. Newcomer, Ana de Armas absolutely dazzles as innocent, nurse protagonist, Marta. Chris Evans is well… Chris Evans: beautiful, brooding, and shockingly evil. (Don’t tell Captain America!) Really, these were the performances that brought the house down and stood out the most, but needless to say, every single person in the cast is anything but short of spectacular.



I think what audiences will love the most about the film besides its terrific casting is that “Knives Out” is the perfect mixture of generic elements. It is not too gory for a murder mystery, but it is not too confusing for a whodunnit. Again, it is extremely hilarious, so of course, the film has the perfect amount of comedy in it and there is also enough drama in it for the audience to sympathize with the protagonist. Thus, the film has all of the key ingredients to be a part of your holiday movie extravaganza. 


All in all, “Knives Out” is a crowd-pleasing mystery with enough laughs and gasps to keep you on the edge of your seat, pleased and entertained. I can whole-heartedly say that I have never seen a film like this one before, which is a giant compliment. It is original and authentic, and will be extremely hard for any mystery thriller, or really just any thriller in general, to compete with. I had such high expectations for this movie and it exceeded all of them, possibly even becoming one of my favorite films of all time. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself… I give it a 9.5/10. 









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