I love a good mystery film as much as the next guy, actually, maybe even more, so when I heard about ‘Knives Out’, I realised that I needed to watch it ASAP. Alas, the life of a medical student meant that I wasn’t able to catch it in the cinema so I was extra excited when it came out on digital formats.
‘Knives Out’ is your classic ‘whodunnit’ film. It introduces to us Harlan Thrombey, an author of crime novels, who is found dead in his study. Cue a large family gathering to mourn the loss, and the report of a rather simple case of suicide by the police. Enter Benoit Blanc, a famous detective, who sees a more sinister plot below the surface and sets to investigate. He hires the help of Marta, Harlan’s nurse who spent a considerable time around him and the rest of the family. It’s very difficult to give any more of the plot to you, without ruining the little threads that make this a delightful watch.
I’ve never really been a fan of Daniel Craig, but I thought his performance in this film was excellent. The same can be said for many of the ensemble cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Michael Shannon, and many more. The way that every single character was so intricately and individually portrayed made the film even more thrilling. At every stage, I suspected every single one of them.
Despite entering a genre that is known to be stereotypical and predictable, I think that ‘Knives Out’ does a remarkable job of making sure it is unique. The entire time there are many clues for us the viewers to look out for, which I think just goes to show that the director did an excellent job of carving out this piece of work.
The music is tense, the characters unsettling and yet it’s all set in what seems to be a large, but lively house in a relatively normal town. The juxtaposition of these features catapults this film to being one of my favourite mystery films of all time. I cannot wait for the sequel and I only hope that it can reproduce its charm.
Rating:
Story: ★★★½
Acting: ★★★★
Cinematography: ★★★★
Music: ★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★★