Rian Johnson wrote and directed this classic whodunit mystery movie. Johnson admits he’s a huge fan of Agatha Christie so Knives Out can be considered a homage to Hercule Poirot–with a Southern twist. Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a quirky master detective with a Southern accent. Blanc is hired by an anonymous client to investigate the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wildly rich and successful mystery writer. Thrombey’s greedy family all show up for the reading of his will. That scene sets off the action for the rest of the movie. Thrombey’s real-estate daughter, Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her straying husband Richard (Don Johnson) have plenty of motive. Thrombey’s son, Walt (Michael Shannon), faces losing his publishing income from his father’s books. Thrombey’s younger daughter, Joni (Toni Collette), and Thrombey’s wayward grandson, Ransom (Chris Evans) must deal with the prospect that the monthly checks will disappear.
I particularly liked the performance of Ana de Armas who plays Marta, Harlan Thrombey’s good-hearted nurse. Marta almost always tells the truth, but when she tells a lie…she pukes! Very funny and cunning. If you’re looking for a movie in the tradition of Murder On the Orient Express and Death On the Nile, you’ll find delight with Knives Out. GRADE: A-
Beware of spoilers!
Wikipedia already has the whole story – icluding the “suprising” solution.
Wolf, that’s why I usually go to see movies on their Opening Day.
Lilly saw it earlier this week and loved it. Said it was very much a “fair play” mystery and that all the pieces fit together neatly when you got to the end. I must admit, thus is the first movie in forever that I’ve wanted to see at the theater and not wait for it to come to a streaming service.
Deb, Lily is right. The clues are presented–along with a lot of Red Herrings–with a lot of cleverness. You’ll enjoy KNIVES OUT.
Thanks for the heads-up!
Dan, I bet you’ll figure out whodunit.
I found it very entertaining. There is supposedly clues that give away the killer early in the movie but I didn’t catch them. I would give it a B+.
Steve, I debated a grade of B+. But I went with an A- because movies like KNIVES OUT are so rare. There are rumors that if KNIVES OUT does well at the Box Office, a sequel may be in the works.
It did very well the first week. I try to support movies like this as an alternative to Marvel/Star Wars type movies.
Steve, I try to “vote” for movies with my money, too. Today’s WALL STREET JOURNAL features a long article on the STAR WARS franchise and the plans Disney has for it. After this next movie, there will be a “pause.”
Good cast. I’m sure we will see it…whenever.
Jeff, you and Jackie will enjoy the cast and the tangled plot.
Jackie is hoping it is playing when we get to Florida a few weeks from now.
Jeff, I’m guessing that KNIVES OUT has legs. It will still be around in January.
I’ve been reading great reviews of this, and your review seals the deal. I’ll get to this as soon as I can. Movies of this kind aren’t really that rare, but great ones are. The only Christie adaptation I can remember really liking was Billy Wilder’s “Witness for the Prosecution”. My favorite movie in this genre is “The Last of Sheila” from the early 70s. It’s readily available (I think it’s on Amazon) and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves this kind of thing.
Michael, I’ll check out THE LAST OF SHEILA. Thanks for the heads up!
Yes, THE LAST OF SHEILA was great. As I recall it was written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins.
Very tempting!
Rick, you and Barbara would love KNIVES OUT!