{"id":32760,"date":"2020-02-20T19:55:23","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T00:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=32760"},"modified":"2020-02-20T19:55:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T00:55:23","slug":"knives-out-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/20\/knives-out-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Knives Out (2019)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By all accounts, Rian Johnson\u2019s \u201cKnives Out\u201d should not have been such a stunning success. It\u2019s an original murder mystery with an eye toward paying tribute to Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Agatha Christie, and yet it\u2019s such a brilliant work of cinema through and through. \u201cKnives Out\u201d is a traditionalist murder mystery ensemble piece but one that also evokes modern sensibility without resorting to pandering to a younger audience. You\u2019re either in for the ride with \u201cKnives Out,\u201d or you\u2019re not as it takes its time unfolding what is a sly, slick and fantastic crime thriller that kept me grinning from ear to ear from beginning to end.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the enigmatic Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate from an unidentified employer. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death. With a young nurse Marta dropped smack dab in the middle of the apparent murder, Benoit learns that there\u2019s so much more to this mystery than what we see.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnives Out\u201d felt so much like Rian Johnson\u2019s own tribute to \u201cMurder on the Orient Express\u201d where he casts an all star ensemble of brilliant actors to portray some of the shiftiest characters and scoundrels around. Daniel Craig unwittingly brings to life a character with immense possibility to become the next great cinematic detective as Benoit Blanc, an eccentric albeit brilliant man who always seems to be working in the background. Blanc is a thorn on the side of the Thromby family, and writer Johnson brings us through this elaborate murder mystery which involves an affluent white family scraping for the inheritance of their elderly father and the meek immigrant maid that just might take the fall.<\/p>\n

Not a single cast member is wasted here, including Plummer as the center of the mystery while Chris Evans (a bonafide scene stealer), Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, and Michael Shannon respectively, manage to wonderfully bring to life such despicable money grubbers. They\u2019re all racing to collect a lifetime of fortune from their ailing father and Blanc alongside Lakeith Stanfield\u2019s Lieutenant Elliot is convinced there\u2019s so many more dimensions present. Johnson touches very subtly the social dynamics between wealth white heirs and their indentured servants, centering on De Armas\u2019 latinx nurse who is pulled in every corner when Blanc takes great interest in her role in Thromby\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

De Armas is a great protagonist who can never seem to know who to trust exactly, and the delivery of her response to lying is one of the better running gags of the film, especially with how it is so instrumental in the climax. In the age of sequels, remakes, reboots, and adaptations, \u201cKnives Out\u201d is a breath of fresh air packed tightly with wit, dark humor, and surprises aplenty. It\u2019s easily one of the best films of 2019.<\/p>\n