"A doughnut hole in the doughnut's hole." - Amusing crime thriller!

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2020)

Rian Johnson, a name that makes many "Star Wars" fans unhappy. "The Last Jedi" was able to inspire many critics, but the fans ... They not only disliked the film, they typically exaggerated it and sent hate mails and stuff like that to the director. It even goes so far that some of these "fans" want to boycott Johnson's new film just because he made a "Star Wars"-film that they didn't like. Pathetic!
But of course, this is about "Knives Out", the crime comedy that has so far been very successful. Why? Now maybe people are looking for a classic "Whodunit"-film or maybe because the cast is so great? Who knows, who knows... The fact is the film is well received, both by critics and viewers.
Crime writer Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his villa. Suicide. But that's just the first thought. Because the well-known detective Benoit Blanc is at the crime scene and is investigating the case. And Blanc suspects more than just simple suicide. One of the reasons for this are the countless family members who are more interested in the rich old man's legacy than in his death ...
"Knives Out" is an entertaining crime-thriller, but the words "thriller" or "crime" doesn't quite hit it. Johnson a movie that is more of a satire of a classic crime film. Well-known clichÃ©s and typical plot lines are skillfully twisted and exaggerated here. Johnson uses a lot of humorous approaches that work very well in my eyes. The dark humor in particular fits well into the film, but so does the more sensitive moments.
The cast is one of the most important positive aspects: Daniel Craig as detective Blanc is wonderfully charming and funny, Chris Evans the rebellious black sheep, Ana de Armas the good-natured housekeeper and Christopher Plummer the dear but mysterious grandfather. In addition, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnson and even Frank Oz are here and have fun with the material, which is transferred to the audience.
Technically, "Knives Out" is also very entertaining and impresses with some interesting and funny camera shots. Nathan Johnson's score is very fitting and wonderfully over-dramatic, funny.
Regardless the movie has some flaws. Maybe because I wanted more "surprises" in the end or because I was missing a little more insight into the smaller secondary characters. I can't say it exactly, but a little more fine-tuning and sharpness in the dialogues wouldn't have hurt the film here and there.
Conclusion: Nonetheless, "Knives Out" is a very entertaining and well-made "thriller" that plays with well-known tricks of the genre and offers an excellent cast. Worth seeing!