Plot- When a crime novelist dies just after his 85th birthday, an inquisitive detective arrives at his estate to investigate. He soon sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind the writer's untimely demise.
Knives Out is a film I was surprised to see we even got in our theatre. It was definitely a film I wanted to see but I just never expected to get the chance to actually experience in it's most cinematic form. I had really high expectations for this movie especially after seeing the insanely positive reviews it had, though the film does have a couple of problems here and there I still thought this movie was great!
Knives Out was shockingly in tune with the audience, Rian Johnson knew exactly what to throw at us to take us off the scent but he also knew exactly how to bring people in and have them both emotionally connected and invested in the film and these characters. This is a film that doesn't work at all if you don't care about this investigation and if you don't care about anyone on screen. Rian Johnson does a great job of creating that connection between the audience and the characters while still treating each of them as suspects. I didn't care much for Rian Johnson's work going into this since the film I've seen that he's worked on was The Last Jedi and I hated that film but he completely surprised me with his skills as both a director and a writer.
I was really excited to see how this cast connected on-screen and as expected they had incredible onscreen chemistry! Everyone delivered fantastic and believable performances. Daniel Craig was amazing, I really liked his Sherlock-Esque character but I also like that he wasn't sherlock and in many ways was quite unique and different for the genre. The most impressive performance came from someone actually fresh and new to me, Ana de Armas. Ana was definitely incredible in her role, she embodied it and was definitely the easiest character to root for and connect with. Movies like Knives Out are the reason why I wish the Oscars had a best ensemble category because that's how incredible everyone in this cast was like I didn't expect such fantastic performances from everyone. Chris Evans was also amazing and was constantly stealing scenes which was a surprise. I do wish there was more Lakeith Stanfield because he has an outstanding amount of talent but he contributed the max he could. A film like this doesn't work as well if the cast isn't functioning perfectly together but it felt like they were really in tune with each other and were just captivating to watch especially with each other there incredible and unique dialogue delivery.
I absolutely loved the characters in this film, there were a lot of memorable and entertaining personalities. The writing in this film was just incredible, the ability Rian Johnson had to constantly pull the audience in different directions without losing their interests was really impressive. This movie was truly thrilling and suspenseful, it takes you on a rollercoaster ride constantly tricking you, throwing out different scenarios and you have to try to figure out what's real and what's not as the detectives do and though this ride can get a little bumpy it also is a whole lot of fun. This movie is great because of how interactive it is and if your someone who gets really connected to films and wants to feel apart of it this is a film perfect for you because it really nails that feeling. Despite even feeling like a suspense thriller at times the film is full of genuinely hilarious comedic moments that will have you laughing and smiling throughout the film, this movie may be branded as a "whodunit" film but it does a great job at using and meshing together other genres to keep you interested and entertained making Knives Out in my opinion one of the highlights or standouts of it's kind.
Knives Out is a beautifully crafted and styled film that will be imprinted in your brain after watching it. I watched this film opening night (last Wednesday) and yet there are still many scenes and lines of dialogue constantly going through my head like I just watched the film two minutes ago. This is definitely a film that I will rewatch soon because of how beautifully written and well crafted it really is. The tone works perfectly and the pacing is great for the most part. My only issue with the film is at times it feels a little cluttered but minus those few moments the film flows really well and though the film has layers I found it easy to follow and understand. The movie is also shot beautifully, it has an incredible atmosphere that really gets you into that murder mystery type of mindset, the beautiful big mansion, gorgeous surroundings and old school style, Knives Out feels like both a modern and classic take on the genre.
People will continue to compare this to Murder On The Orient Express but this film is much more impressive and despite being lighter and having a brighter sense of comedy by a long shot is still does a way better job at being suspenseful and actually throwing in unexpected twists and turns. The ending of this film is amazing and the twist reminds of the film Scream though they are completely different they both shocked me despite partially being what I originally expected. Like I couldn't leave the theatre and say "I saw it coming" because, in reality, they threw me off track so well that when the time came to tell me I was originally right I had totally written that possibility off. I also love what this movie does with perspective, I don't wanna spoil anything but it doesn't very unique and it works really really well for this film. I'd definitely recommend this movie to anyone and even though it may not be perfect, I still thought the film was a beautiful and incredible movie that not only works for its genre and the fans of its genre but it also works outside of it and for people who aren't necessarily as interested or as familiar with the genre!
Rating: 9.5/10
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