Knives Out
Knives Out is a murder mystery whodunit with a couple of twists and turns before reaching its conclusion. It boasts an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, Lakeith Stanfield, and Chris Evans, and was released in US theatres on November 27, 2019. Knives Out is rated PG-13 for brief violence/blood, mild language, and adult situations.
I saw Knives Out in a large auditorium with about 25 other folks during a late Black Friday showing on 11/29/19. It was a pretty diverse crowd, ranging from early 20s white stoners to a middle-aged black couple and an elderly gentleman who took a nap halfway through. Just when it seemed like the mystery had been solved, the film took another turn, and the uncertainty of how it was all going to work out kept me well-interested for the full 2 hour and 10 minute run-time.
If you're not a fan of spoilers, then you won't want to read any further because I will most certainly be spoiling the movie for you. You've been warned!
Knives Out is written and directed by Rian Johnson, who, if you're unfamiliar, is the guy that wrote and directed The Last Jedi which nerds hated for bullshit reasons. So I wanted to see this movie mostly to vote with my dollars, but also because it looked interesting. It definitely did not disappoint. I did manage to call it that Chris Evans' character was the bad guy pretty early on, but that in no way reduced my enjoyment.
This is a film full of unlikable characters. The mystery at the heart of the movie is that family patriarch Harlan Thrombey, an incredibly successful murder-mystery novelist, has died. But did he commit suicide like the police report says, or was it...murder? Nearly the entire Thrombey family, who gathers for the funeral and then the reading of the will, has no redeeming qualities. They're all a bunch of WASP-y fucks who think they're going to get something from dear old dead dad/grandpa, but it turns out that they don't get shit and Harlan's entire fortune goes instead to his personal nurse who they can't even remember where her family is from (Paraguay? Uruguay? Brazil? Ecuador?). When this is revealed, they hit the roof, and start thinking of ways to either get her to renounce the inheritance, or somehow prove that she killed Harlan. Which she did. Sort of. It was actually Chris Evans' character who done it, because he switched his meds after Harlan told him he was writing him out of his will.
Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc is my second favorite thing about this movie. He had my favorite line, too, where he pretty much sums up the way the mystery unfolds, "I thought we were looking for the hole in the middle of the donut, the donut hole. But it turns out that donut hole has it's own hole right in the center. It's not a donut hole at all, but a whole other donut." I think Daniel Craig is a very underrated actor, and the more things I see him in (that aren't James Bond related) the more I think that.
Nerds and the internet in general are upset about this movie for a couple of reasons. One, it's Rian Johnson, and he ruined their childhood or some shit with Last Jedi, even though all he did was point out that maybe Luke wasn't that great at what he did, and that Rey probably isn't his kid, because why would she be? I mean, there was already a Skywalker (sort of) in the film, and these whiny fuckbois should be able to identify with Kylo more than anyone. Two, the film calls out internet Nazis and trolls in general (one of the characters is just that, although I didn't really buy his portrayal), and like I said earlier, Harlan's family members are horrible people with nothing redeeming about them. They also happen to be the only white people in the movie (except for Benoit). But they mean well! Several of them repeatedly say that they're going to take care of Marta, because they consider her part of the family, even though they never explicitly say what that means and turn their backs on her as soon as the will is read. Three, this movie makes the point pretty clear to anyone who's paying attention that truly good people will do the right thing even if there may be negative consequences for them, and that selfishness never works out well. Not surprisingly, it's the well-off white people who are terrible and selfish in Knives Out.
I really liked this movie. I think it is definitely a contender for my favorite movie this year, it's technically family friendly and can spur discussion, the acting and writing are top-notch, and I would most certainly watch the continuing adventures of Benoit Blanc. Please, please, Rian, please write more stories with Benoit solving mysteries. Daniel Craig needs work after he stops being Bond, and he doesn't have to kill himself to get in shape for this role!
Have you seen Knives Out and want to argue with me? Please, post a comment and let me know your thoughts. Have a nice day!
I saw Knives Out in a large auditorium with about 25 other folks during a late Black Friday showing on 11/29/19. It was a pretty diverse crowd, ranging from early 20s white stoners to a middle-aged black couple and an elderly gentleman who took a nap halfway through. Just when it seemed like the mystery had been solved, the film took another turn, and the uncertainty of how it was all going to work out kept me well-interested for the full 2 hour and 10 minute run-time.
If you're not a fan of spoilers, then you won't want to read any further because I will most certainly be spoiling the movie for you. You've been warned!
Knives Out is written and directed by Rian Johnson, who, if you're unfamiliar, is the guy that wrote and directed The Last Jedi which nerds hated for bullshit reasons. So I wanted to see this movie mostly to vote with my dollars, but also because it looked interesting. It definitely did not disappoint. I did manage to call it that Chris Evans' character was the bad guy pretty early on, but that in no way reduced my enjoyment.
This is a film full of unlikable characters. The mystery at the heart of the movie is that family patriarch Harlan Thrombey, an incredibly successful murder-mystery novelist, has died. But did he commit suicide like the police report says, or was it...murder? Nearly the entire Thrombey family, who gathers for the funeral and then the reading of the will, has no redeeming qualities. They're all a bunch of WASP-y fucks who think they're going to get something from dear old dead dad/grandpa, but it turns out that they don't get shit and Harlan's entire fortune goes instead to his personal nurse who they can't even remember where her family is from (Paraguay? Uruguay? Brazil? Ecuador?). When this is revealed, they hit the roof, and start thinking of ways to either get her to renounce the inheritance, or somehow prove that she killed Harlan. Which she did. Sort of. It was actually Chris Evans' character who done it, because he switched his meds after Harlan told him he was writing him out of his will.
Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc is my second favorite thing about this movie. He had my favorite line, too, where he pretty much sums up the way the mystery unfolds, "I thought we were looking for the hole in the middle of the donut, the donut hole. But it turns out that donut hole has it's own hole right in the center. It's not a donut hole at all, but a whole other donut." I think Daniel Craig is a very underrated actor, and the more things I see him in (that aren't James Bond related) the more I think that.
Nerds and the internet in general are upset about this movie for a couple of reasons. One, it's Rian Johnson, and he ruined their childhood or some shit with Last Jedi, even though all he did was point out that maybe Luke wasn't that great at what he did, and that Rey probably isn't his kid, because why would she be? I mean, there was already a Skywalker (sort of) in the film, and these whiny fuckbois should be able to identify with Kylo more than anyone. Two, the film calls out internet Nazis and trolls in general (one of the characters is just that, although I didn't really buy his portrayal), and like I said earlier, Harlan's family members are horrible people with nothing redeeming about them. They also happen to be the only white people in the movie (except for Benoit). But they mean well! Several of them repeatedly say that they're going to take care of Marta, because they consider her part of the family, even though they never explicitly say what that means and turn their backs on her as soon as the will is read. Three, this movie makes the point pretty clear to anyone who's paying attention that truly good people will do the right thing even if there may be negative consequences for them, and that selfishness never works out well. Not surprisingly, it's the well-off white people who are terrible and selfish in Knives Out.
I really liked this movie. I think it is definitely a contender for my favorite movie this year, it's technically family friendly and can spur discussion, the acting and writing are top-notch, and I would most certainly watch the continuing adventures of Benoit Blanc. Please, please, Rian, please write more stories with Benoit solving mysteries. Daniel Craig needs work after he stops being Bond, and he doesn't have to kill himself to get in shape for this role!
Have you seen Knives Out and want to argue with me? Please, post a comment and let me know your thoughts. Have a nice day!
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