Rian Johnson Sets the Table for a New Mystery
“Knives Out” proves to be an entertaining murder mystery from the previous Star Wars director
By Colin Smith
“Knives Out” proves to be an entertaining murder mystery from the previous Star Wars director
By Colin Smith
After Rian Johnson’s controversial “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” I was both interested and skeptical to see him take on such a difficult genre such as murder mystery. Luckily, “Knives Out” is his most accomplished work yet.
Harlan Thrombey, the grandfather of the main family and an acclaimed murder mystery writer, is found dead one morning with his throat slit and a knife in hand. The movie centers around a group of detectives attempting to uncover the truth behind the suspected suicide. After meeting the different family members and searching a massive mansion, they realize that everyone in the family is crazy, except one, Ana de Armas’ loving caretaker character, who happens to vomit anytime she hears or tells a lie. When Daniel Craig, playing a legendary detective with a hilarious southern accent, realizes he can use this to his advantage, he then tricks her into telling the truth, in order to help them find the killer.
De Armas and Craig’s performances are the true stand outs of the movie. De Armas is a relatively newer actress, yet she carries the movie like a pro and Craig seems to be having a blast the whole time. The cast, as a whole, is fantastic too, as everyone gets their time to shine when being interviewed by the detectives. Watching Chris Evans play a character who isn’t Steve Rogers is especially nice. He pulls off being the privileged, spoiled grandson of the victim, in a way that is satisfying and entertaining for the audience. Of course, some characters are more fleshed out than others, while some are just caricatures of certain traits. If you’re going to watch the film for a specific actor or actress, don’t be surprised if they’re not in the movie that much. The focus of the film is on the detectives and De Armas’ character, not the family as a whole.
Throughout the picture, Johnson’s direction feels inspired and is never unoriginal or bland. He puts the camera close to the actors’ faces, allowing us to see their imperfections and different characteristics, giving us clear distinctions between each person. As the movie comes to an end, the camera gets even more claustrophobic, slowly building tension in its final scenes. You can tell that he loves this genre of film, giving us a taste of past films while also injecting it with his own style, making it feel fresh and new.
Ultimately, just like the books and movies that the film is inspired by — it’s all about the whodunit and it’s so well hidden that just when you think you have it all figured out, he pulls the rug out from under your feet. When the film comes to an end, with a final shot that will make you grin ear to ear, you’ll leave the theater trying to unpack the details that Johnson purposefully left hidden for you to talk and think about, just like the detectives in the film. It’s hard to say whether or not Harlan Thrombey could have written a mystery like this one, but there’s no doubt he would have loved it.
Harlan Thrombey, the grandfather of the main family and an acclaimed murder mystery writer, is found dead one morning with his throat slit and a knife in hand. The movie centers around a group of detectives attempting to uncover the truth behind the suspected suicide. After meeting the different family members and searching a massive mansion, they realize that everyone in the family is crazy, except one, Ana de Armas’ loving caretaker character, who happens to vomit anytime she hears or tells a lie. When Daniel Craig, playing a legendary detective with a hilarious southern accent, realizes he can use this to his advantage, he then tricks her into telling the truth, in order to help them find the killer.
De Armas and Craig’s performances are the true stand outs of the movie. De Armas is a relatively newer actress, yet she carries the movie like a pro and Craig seems to be having a blast the whole time. The cast, as a whole, is fantastic too, as everyone gets their time to shine when being interviewed by the detectives. Watching Chris Evans play a character who isn’t Steve Rogers is especially nice. He pulls off being the privileged, spoiled grandson of the victim, in a way that is satisfying and entertaining for the audience. Of course, some characters are more fleshed out than others, while some are just caricatures of certain traits. If you’re going to watch the film for a specific actor or actress, don’t be surprised if they’re not in the movie that much. The focus of the film is on the detectives and De Armas’ character, not the family as a whole.
Throughout the picture, Johnson’s direction feels inspired and is never unoriginal or bland. He puts the camera close to the actors’ faces, allowing us to see their imperfections and different characteristics, giving us clear distinctions between each person. As the movie comes to an end, the camera gets even more claustrophobic, slowly building tension in its final scenes. You can tell that he loves this genre of film, giving us a taste of past films while also injecting it with his own style, making it feel fresh and new.
Ultimately, just like the books and movies that the film is inspired by — it’s all about the whodunit and it’s so well hidden that just when you think you have it all figured out, he pulls the rug out from under your feet. When the film comes to an end, with a final shot that will make you grin ear to ear, you’ll leave the theater trying to unpack the details that Johnson purposefully left hidden for you to talk and think about, just like the detectives in the film. It’s hard to say whether or not Harlan Thrombey could have written a mystery like this one, but there’s no doubt he would have loved it.