Good Old Whodunnit

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2019)

On the surface Knives Out is a whodunnit murder mystery, but beneath is a subtle examination and critique of wealth acquired through family legacy in the form of the Thrombey family. While neither are necessary reinventing the wheel, both are compelling. The murder mystery is fun, unpredictable and humorous. At the center of it is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, a private detective hired anonymously under suspicious circumstances and Ana de Armas as the nurse and friend of the deceased Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). This movie isn't just interested in the mystery but in the characters that are caught up in the suspicious death of Mr. Harlan Thrombey, who by chance has just cut off the family from his money, legacy, and inheritance. The one scene that stood out in this film to me was about halfway through, where Michael Shannon's character, one of Harlan's sons, weakly attempts to extort Ana de Armas' character into giving up the inheritance gifted to her. It's a scummy move, but it's given nuance coming from someone who has just lost his father and left out of a substantial inheritance he was expected to receive for a number of years. Rian Johnson, like all good filmmakers (he also wrote the excellent script), realizes that good characters are the centerpiece of a good movie. All together this is an excellent movie, and I should mention again that it is also very funny.