Solid 3.5 // Shines brightest when focused on the ensemble

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2019)

An entertaining murder mystery with a colorful cast and playful energy. The first half or so is particularly strong and layers on the plot twists at a satisfying clip. The film is at its strongest when the ensemble convenes and the characters are able to play off of one another. As the plot progresses though, there is increasingly less opportunity for this and the film narrows its focus to only a few characters for a significant portion of the run time. It loses some of its charm in the process and the double, triple, and quadruple plot reversals start to feel shallow when the humanity of the characters has taken a back seat. I also didn't care so much for the forced political commentary, not because it wasn't an interesting angle to take but rather the execution just felt a bit too obvious and preachy. An enjoyable and lighthearted film on the whole, but it didn't resonate far beyond that.
Solid 3.5/5