First of all, I’m not even going to get into any of the drummed-up controversy regarding Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed this movie. I emphasize “drummed up” when describing the controversy, because it’s only an issue among the small but vocal segment of Star Wars fans that loathe and detest the writer/director’s work on The Last Jedi. I’m also not going to go into how much I unabashedly and unequivocally adore The Last Jedi. You can read all about that here…

On The Last Jedi, and Rey’s (true) origin story

as well as in other articles, the links to which can be found in the above piece. I wrote a year’s worth of stuff on the subject; the pie is well-baked.

Instead, I—like Johnson himself—want to move ahead, away from Star Wars (hopefully only for the time being) to an entirely different genre. Johnson has proven himself adept at skillfully playing in a variety of cinematic playgrounds. Brick is an awesome little neo-noir film that more people need to see. Brother’s Bloom is a delightful little caper. Looper is a great high-concept sci-fi action film. The Last Jedi is a tentpole event film. Each of these movies has a secondary element to them that give them a little extra oomph. Brick is not just a noir film, but a high school drama as well. Brother’s Bloom tells its story through the filter of a comedy-romp. Looper has a mystery at its heart. The Last Jedi, while being a big spectacle movie, is secretly a personal, character-driven film about failure. The point is, Rian Johnson is a great writer, period. He’s not a great sci-fi writer, or a great adventure writer, etc. He’s just a skillful crafter of plots, regardless of the setting, style, or genre.

Knives Out is his latest and, like his other films, there’s a surface-level concept being explored, and a subterranean concept driving the action. On the surface, Knives Out appears to be a by-the-book “who-dun-it.” It doesn’t take long before the film’s second level is revealed. What is it? Well, I can’t tell you without spoiling it for you, so turn back now if you’ve not yet seen the film…

SPOILERS AHEAD

So if Knives Out is a whodunit, then what’s the second level of fun that Rian has with the story? Is it a comedy? Daniel Craig does steal every scene and has some hilarious moments, as do many others. Is it suspense? The movie does get surprisingly tense more than twice in the second half. No, the other genre that Rian plays with is…

mystery!

That’s right, Knives Out is a mystery-within-a-mystery movie.

How he pulls it off is by revealing the “murder” and “who” did it at the end of the first act. That’s a remarkably brazen thing to do, especially since the point of a whodunit is to tease and raise questions all the way to the final minutes. By revealing the central mystery thirty minutes into the film, Johnson is gambling on his ability to hold our interest until the next big twist comes and the next big mystery is unveiled. That doesn’t come until midway through the second act, a full thirty minutes or so later. That’s a long time to watch the now-known killer play cat and mouse with the detective (a trope typically reserved for the climactic act of these sorts of stories). The way the movie is written depends on there being a gap between the two twists, however, and Johnson fills in the time in the best possible way: Daniel Craig pretending to be a Kentucky-fried Adam West.

That’s the only way I know how to describe it.

Watching Craig chew up and spit out scenery, meandering off on various tangents, talking at one point—in the film’s most hilariously bizarre monologue—about a donut’s hole and the “donut hole” that’s needed to fill it, only to discover the donut hole itself is a donut with a hole, etc. It’s surreal watching him read such obviously ridiculous lines with such a straight-laced performance. The only comparison I could think of was Adam West’s take on Bruce Wayne/Batman. It’s delightful. It’s bizarre. It’s single-handedly enough to keep the film chugging along while we wait for the other shoe to drop.

The other shoes drop when our known-killer, Marta Cabrera, finds herself blackmailed over the crime that no one should have known she committed. Up to this point, everything seemed very cut and dried; the movie does a great job showing you step-by-step how everything went down and why; the blackmail throws everything for a loop and turns the “solved-mystery” story into a brand new “donut hole with a donut with a hole inside it” mystery all over again.

And because so early on we’re given an explanation for the murder that we have no reason to question, the audience is able to let its guard down and stop thinking about who the killer could be, since we already “know” who it is. This solves the biggest problem with mystery stories: The audience is always trying to guess who “dun” it, and solve the crime without letting the story play out. If you guess correctly before the movie reveals the secret, you spent the time in between restless and bored. If you guess wrong then you might be annoyed that the reveal wasn’t what you had in mind, etc.

Instead, before you can even start formulating theories, Knives Out spills its beans and then goes in an entirely different, hilarious, bizarre, and twisty direction, before wrapping everything up in a wholly satisfying and totally “fun” kind of way.

I loved it and easily rank it among the best films I’ve seen this year.

10/10 – Excellently acted, fantastically directed, sharply written, and a great twist on a classic formula, Knives Out is for anyone who loves murder-mysteries, or just enjoys having a good time at the movies.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

8 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Jordaina

6 months ago

I agree 100% with your review. I was a bit worried in the beginning when we found out who actually killed him. I thought, were will this go now. It was brilliant!

Arabella

I finally got around to seeing this one and thoroughly loved it. I’m not sure which actor outshone the others between Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, and Daniel Craig, as each gave a dazzling performance. This might be my favourite film this year.

Reply to Arabella

I couldn’t agree more. I was a bit leery at first to see it. I’m so glad I did. The stars were amazing! I dont think any one of them outdid the others. It has to be one of the top movies in 2019.

Snarky-Guru

7 months ago

It was excellent and one of my favourites this year. An all-star cast for an all-star story. The writer/director fully redeemed himself I think. It seems a bit odd for fans to trash the bloke when this genre is nowhere near the same as sci-fi. Perhaps they’ll let it go now, because Knives Out is truly spectacular.

Gavin the Binge-Watcher

I found Daniel Craig tedious to be honest and I’m normally a massive fan. Loved the plot though and thought it was an excellent film.

KeeperofUnicorns

I don’t know that this movie would’ve worked with a different cast because they truly sold it. I was blown away by Jamie Lee Curtis and Daniel Craig in particular.

Reply to KeeperofUnicorns

They were so cheeky, I loved it. I also thought Toni Collette and Chris Evans were excellent. Of course, it’s always a real treat to watch Christopher Plummer as well. I think you’re spot on, this was the perfect cast to make this film.

Shelbii

This movie looks so great! I saw the preview when I was at the theater last week. I didn’t read the spoilers but can’t wait to watch it and then reread this again.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

REVIEW: Knives Out is delightfully convoluted! (spoilers abound)

SPOILERS AHEAD

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you