Knives Out subverts expectations without hurting anyone’s feelings
In 2017, Rian Johnson drew the nightmarish rage out of the most dangerous gang in America: the Star Wars fandom. With The Last Jedi, Johnson took what Star Wars fans had come to know and love about the “Skywalker Saga” and dumped it on its head. Johnson dared to make a film that suggested bloodlines are irrelevant and the individual can be defined by his or herself, contradicting the Skywalker-bloodline obsession the franchise is so well known for. It was such heresy that campaigns were born to remake the film. For those of us less precious about the franchise, it was good. To plenty, it was great.
Now, in 2019, Johnson has subverted expectations once again, only this time to an entire genre. And it works. It works incredibly well. Knives Out is the whodunnit for whodunnit fans that have grown bored of the genre. It honors the legacy of the greats like Agatha Christie and early Hitchcock, while simultaneously poking holes in all of the genre’s tropes. With an astonishingly clever script and great performances across the board, it is one of those rare films that subverts expectations without upsetting its audience. Unlike Johnson’s much maligned The Last Jedi, Knives Out leaves its fans feeling rewarded for their affections, having lost nothing in Johnson’s act of subversion.
The film follows the death of thriller novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), his remarkably suspect family, and Foghorn Leghorn impersonator/detective extraordinaire Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). The night of his death, Thrombey has a party with all of his children and grandchildren, and there are reports of several of them having run ins with the now-deceased author. Add to this a caretaker who cannot lie without vomiting and an unheard-of amount of answers given in the first twenty minutes, and Rian Johnson’s standard mystery becomes something far more interesting.
The plot here is tight, and every character feels real, if a bit exaggerated. The entire family could all easily be the culprit, with believable motives and means to commit the crime. However, because this movie gives away so much at the start, we know (up until the last minute) that they are all technically innocent. That is how confident this script is. It has so much more to give away, that it tells you exactly “whodunnit” before you even get to form your own hypothesis. This makes for a remarkably rewatchable flick, filled with “aha” moments but still twisted enough to provide a fist pump moment or two on the fourth viewing. Add to this some clever foreshadowing and a great commentary on immigration and race politics, and it is hard to imagine how Johnson put something together with such grace and craft.
This is to say nothing, of course, of the performances drawn out of each cast member.
It’s hard to pick which performance to gush about first. Michael Shannon’s Walt Thrombey shows Shannon at his funniest, while simultaneously bringing some of his signature grit to the greedy former publisher’s middle-aged angst. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is a masterclass in bent straight-man delivery, stealing every scene with delivery so sharp it often makes other characters uncomfortable. Ana de Armas is convincing as nervous and loyal Marta, and there is never a moment where we don’t want her to win. This is all tied together with on-point villainy from Chris Evans, Jaeden Martell’s perfectly creepy nazi-youth, and effortless performances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, and Toni Collette.
These performances are moved along by Nathan Johnson’s sparingly used score, which shifts between swelling violins and sloppy but coherent jazz. This is a movie that wants you to listen to it, so music is reserved for moments of grand discovery or explosive conflict, never to cover dialogue or to mask an off-brand scene. Instead of becoming a sweeping, John Williams-level-anthem and a character in its own right, we have a score that slips into the background, only assisting when it’s needed most. You may forget it exists for large parts of the film, and that’s fine. Cooler things are happening.
Altogether, Knives Out is an enormous success in my book. It is engrossing and lovingly made, with a clever commentary on privilege woven subtly into its DNA. Every performance is balanced, existing in a world somewhere between sincere mystery and affectionate parody. It is a gem, and I wouldn’t trust a friend who tells you otherwise. I cannot wait to see what Rian Johnson does next, and let’s hope the rumored Knives Out 2 is equally satisfying.
Subjective Opinion 5/5
Watch this movie. It is a blast, and it has a relevant allegory for American colonialism somewhere in there, I think. That’s for a later writing.
Objective Opinion 5/5
Just watch it. There is something to love for everyone.
Who should tune in:
Everyone. Seriously, give these people your money.
A version of this story originally appeared on CreatorCoffeeShop.com
