The Knives aren't really out

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2019)

Knives Out has found a way to turn many of the genre's tropes on their heads and that very much deserves to be praised. Ana De Armas is touching, vulnerable, truthful, endearing, and outshines pretty much the entirety of the remaining star-studded cast, which is also very impressive.
Overall, after a very clunky beginning, we get into the story and it moves pretty smoothly throughout, and the movie keeps its momentum going until at the very least, the end of the second act.
But when we get to the third act, it starts to feel like the need for never ending twists takes over at the cost of logic and realism, which obviously is often the case in these kinds of movies. But, I would argue a truly successful murder mystery should end with the realization that we have been staring at the truth all along and yet couldn't quite see it - and in that respect, I feel like the movie fails.
It also fails in portraying characters that feel real for the most part - with the exception of Ana De Armas, everyone feels a little bit like a caricature, best exemplified by the sixteen year old teenage boy who spends his entire time on his phone to promote the alt-right. Many of such cliches are played for humor, but for the most part, the few comedic moments of the film fall flat - in particular, Daniel Craig's sadly clumsily delivered Detective character, meant to be an American Hercule Poirot, but whose quirks are simply forgettable and frankly, unimaginative.
Finally, the story simply does not fully deliver on its themes, its conclusion feels rushed and shallow: good people end up happy, and bad people are punished, no redemption or nuance whatsoever, the story is black and white, and that may have worked during Agatha Christie's time, but I don't think modern audiences will accept it as easily.