Elemen, I say, Tary, Watson

Conditions: Acceptance

Film Review: Knives Out

A good whodunit is a jigsaw puzzle, only made with interesting pieces and, you know, entertaining.  Especially these days, as the modern audience is jaded all to hell, and fully expects to have to deal with a twist or two.  Rian Johnson, previously of Star Wars fame, has ditched the Disney stronghold in order to write and direct this film, so set in the classical tones of an Agatha Christie thriller but right up to date with modern sensibilities.  So to the cast introductions, and what a cast we have:  Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson!  And as the patriarch of the family, Christopher Plummer, a man made rich by his writing of many famous murder mysteries, and owns the enormous house full of his decidedly odd and greedy family members.  His nurse, played by Ana de Armas, is helping him get ready to turn in for the night when the plot kicks in to gear.  But one of things that works so well about this film is how sometimes you don't even know it's working at all.

Rian's Star Wars film ultimately failed because it seemed to me he was more interested in examining the tropes and format of a Star Wars movie and upsetting them rather than simply work in the genre he had chosen.  It made for an unsatisfying experience to say the least  However it's this attitude of his that then I think makes something like Knives Out work like gangbusters.  It's a mystery film that keeps you on your toes, that keeps upsetting what you think should happen with yet another thrilling twist.  There's also definitely a tone of comeuppance here too, where the children of a rich man are spoiled and terrible people, and the nurse, who is an immigrant, works hard and is a genuinely nice person.  Who gets the money (and the house) is the question ringing through the film, along with who actually deserves it, and perhaps even who wants it.

The star of the show of course is Daniel Craig, playing the eccentric investigator Benoit Blanc.  Craig is making a determined step away from his tough guy Bond persona and is in crackling form as a southern-accented gentleman who effortlessly dominates the stage using intellect and sharp questions as we veer from suspect to suspect, flashback to flashback.  Giving anything away would be unfair, but rest assured this film fully delivers. I would urge you not to try and second guess the film, surely it's far better to just sit back and let a well-told tale wash over you.  I sincerely hope there will be more films regarding the adventures of Benoit Blanc in the not too distant future.  Four Clues out of five.

- Peace out