Knives Out (2019)- BFI London Film Festival 2019

Review

130min

Genre:     Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery

Director:  Rian Johnson

Cast:       Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas…and more

Writers:   Rian Johnson

-Synopsis-

When the wealthy author patriarch of a combative and dysfunctional American family unexpectedly dies at one of their gatherings, a police detective and a celebrated private investigator are sent to investigate, but soon find more than they bargained for . . . and more than meets the eye—in an all-star 21st century take on the whodunit murder-mystery from the writer/director of ‘Looper’ and ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’.

With time to kill in between huge ‘Star Wars’ projects—having directed the second film of the Disney era ‘Skywalker Saga’ and gearing up for an entirely new as yet unnamed trilogy set in a galaxy far, far away—Rian Johnson turns to one of his literary heroes, legendary British crime novelist and bestselling author of all time Agatha Christie for inspiration, assembling a mighty cast and applying rapier wit and modern sensibilities to classic tropes, while subverting the mystery element to deliver a traditional whodunit for a new generation.

Ana de Armas stars as immigrant nurse ‘Marta’, caregiver to ageing wealthy crime novelist ‘Harlan Thrombey’ (Christopher Plummer) at his stately New England manor home, where the latest family gathering gets typically tense when he clashes with his stern daughter ‘Linda’ (Jamie Lee Curtis), her smooth-talking husband ‘Richard’ (Don Johnson) and their arrogant rebellious son ‘Ransom’ (Chris Evans)—not to mention the discord with his son and publisher ‘Walt’ (Michael Shannon), and his widowed ditsy daughter-in-law ‘Joni’ (Toni Collette). But when the night ends with the old man dead of apparent suicide, local police detective ‘Elliot’ (Lakeith Stanfield) and self-styled southern gentleman sleuth ‘Benoit Blanc’ (Daniel Craig) arrive to investigate, unravelling a mystery which threatens to tear this greedy family even further apart . . . and take innocent bystanders with them.

If there’s one word which best describes Johnson’s reverential foray into classic murder-mystery it’s probably ensemble, as he takes a cue or two from Agatha Christie film adaptations like ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘Ten Little Indians’, not to mention Neil Simon’s loving parody ‘Murder By Death’, by wrangling an extraordinary cast together to bring his wonderful array of well-drawn, archetypal quirky characters to life.

With the story initially centred around a refined patriarch played by the great Christopher Plummer, as suave and commanding as ever, Johnson assembles a fascinating group of personalities around him with their own ambitions and motives, bringing together veterans like the formidable Jamie Lee Curtis and the charismatic Don Johnson with two of the finest actors of their generation Toni Collette and Michael Shannon. As well as exciting younger stars Lakeith Stanfield and Jaeden Martell with Hollywood heavy-hitters Daniel Craig, gloriously refining his southern American dude from ‘Logan Lucky’ into Rian Johnson’s very own ‘Poirot’, and “America’s Ass” himself Chris Evans delivering a scene-stealing turn with his most unlikeable character to date. Ultimately the moral heart of the piece, and the fulcrum around which the narrative revolves, is young Cuban star Ana de Armas as the nurse and outsider within this toxic inner sanctum—the filter through whom the audience is supposed to view this curious family.

Then there’s the other major character in the film—the house. A combination of stately Massachusetts manor exteriors and even more ornate dark-wooded interiors, styled with classical decor and filled with all manner of lofty ornaments and expensive knick-knacks—including the not-so-subtle Iron Throne-like chair with surrounding knife collage—a real triumph of characterful production design. And like all Rian Johnson films, it’s stylishly shot by his regular cinematographer Steve Yedlin, while his regular composer Nathan Johnson adds plenty of atmosphere and energy to the drama and intrigue.

Despite Johnson’s take on the crime/mystery sub-genre being  in many ways a traditional affair, his version of the classic whodunit has many narrative elements of its time, not only in its structure and the way it tries to subvert expectations with the mystery element of the plot, but also in the social context of the narrative. ‘Knives Out’ deliberately touches (albeit lightly) on contemporary social themes in a divided country; like privilege, class, greed, immigration and the fortune-filled karma of being a good person. But it certainly doesn’t beat the audience over the head with them, and it’s ultimately all just narrative flavouring and not the main course.

What is certainly the pièce de résistance here, and what makes this particular whodunit stand out though is undoubtedly the copious comedy and the sharp, cutting dialogue. Johnson’s screenplay is so packed with perceptive and occasionally self-referential humour that helps to complete these fully-formed quirky characters—giving Craig’s gentlemen sleuth the ammunition to steal nearly every scene, while Toni Collette gives him a run for his money as the ditsy, self-unaware lifestyle guru who marries into the family, and Evans as the entitled brash grandson gets his shot at taking them all down . . . one clever quip and insult at a time. But virtually everyone in this impressive troupe gets their chance to shine and let their characters spread their wings.

In fact the characters and the comedy are so strong, and Johnson’s cinematic craftsmanship so precise that it easily glosses over some slight shortcomings in the plot; a mystery element lacking a bit of intricacy, slightly predictable turns and some shaky misdirection—and an ultimate culprit you might see coming from a mile away.

But none of that manages to bring the enjoyment of the film down, or take you out of a wholly captivating story, a majorly gratifying dysfunctional family dramedy, and a sterling whodunit exercise in character over plot—delivering us a brand new obnoxious fictional family to judge, and a wonderfully creative (if a little naive) ode to the concept of karma and earning your keep.

The Bottom Line…

A hilarious, reverential yet irreverent whodunit for a new generation but built on the solid foundations of tradition, Rian Johnson revises and updates the classic ensemble murder-mystery while paying homage to its giants, masterfully wrangling a formidable cast on form while expertly crafting a story which might keep you guessing, but will certainly entertain . . . from first frame to last.

‘Knives Out’ is out on the 27th of November in UK and US cinemas.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Murder by Death (1976)

An eccentric millionaire with a penchant for sleuthing invites a disparate group of the world’s greatest detectives to his stately manor, offering a million dollars the one who solves the murder which is about to take place—in Neil Simon’s irreverent and outrageous all-star tribute to the classic Agatha Christie murder-mystery.

Directed by Robert Moore and starring Peter Falk, Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.