I suspect acclaim.

Rating: 7/10 (1 December 2019)

'Knives Out (2019)' is the kind of movie they don't make anymore, a mansion-based whodunnit with an all-star cast and a charismatically quirky lead, but that doesn't mean it's old-fashioned. In fact, it feels fresh, modern and genre-literate. It uses its cinematic awareness to craft a devilishly enjoyable fable, a fun and evolving mystery that delivers the goods on pretty much all fronts. Despite what the marketing would have you believe, Daniel "Bored Of Bond" Craig isn't the protagonist. This makes for a detective story in which the detective isn't the one you want to see succeed, even though he isn't an antagonist in any shape or form, and this is rather refreshing. By giving certain aspects of its story away shockingly early, the flick leans away from suspicion and head-first into suspense. Johnson still manages to add an ample amount of wrinkles to the plot as it thickens, though. It's unpredictable and engaging throughout, peppered with the sort of surprises that the genre demands. Even though it does end with the typical, detective-led exposition dump, it's an incredibly satisfying experience. This is primarily because you're always engaged by proceedings, kept on your toes as the ultimately rather unique story unravels. It's a crowd-pleasing affair, a clever twist on its well-worn premise that still conforms to certain expectations. It's also fairly well-written, dialogue-heavy but not plodding, and has a good sense of tone, playing with the absurdities of Cluedo-esque situations without reducing its overall sincerity. It's aware of what it is but it isn't annoyingly meta. The crisp cinematography compliments its almost timeless feel, while the assured direction establishes itself as stylish yet subdued. Every core player plays their role excellently, no matter how much time or attention they're actually awarded. That includes the previously mentioned Craig, whose chewy southern drawl actually isn't as distracting as it could have been. Shannon, Evans, Plummer and De Armas stand out as being particularly good, too, regardless of the size of their role. Much of the family is side-lined for the majority of the time, but their presence is still keenly felt and they sufficiently support the more important characters. It's hard to imagine a cast better than this and everyone delivers on the unspoken promise of their inclusion. In the end, this is a surprisingly intelligent and entertaining experience. It generally keeps getting better as it goes on. When everything falls into place, it's hard not to get a smile on your face. 7/10