Old-fashioned murder-mystery thriller executed with wit

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2019)

Knives Out is a murder-mystery movie in the key of old-fashioned Agatha Christie or Edgar Wallace novels and their cinematic adaptations throughout the sixties and seventies of the last century. This sounds worse than it is because a movie without an overdose of special effects that goes back to the basics is actually quite refreshing. Elderly audiences will adore this movie and it might as well introduce younger audiences to this almost forgotten type of cinema.
This thriller works well for numerous reasons. The actors and actresses are veterans and talented youngster who complement one another perfectly. Young Cuban actress Ana de Armas delivers the goods as good-hearted caretaker who ends up mingled in a crime. Veteran Christopher Plummer is excellent as eccentric author who despises his own family. The diversified Daniel Craig convinces as mysterious investigator who tries to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
The locations and settings are simple but very efficient in this movie. Most parts of the film take place in a gorgeous mansion and even though the architecture and landscapes look splendid, the tight rooms and sinister decorations give the film a gloomy vibe. The few scenes that are filmed away from that location offer some refreshing diversity in form of small appartments, charming downtown areas and rural restaurants.
The plot obviously comes around with a few twists and turns. However, those don't come as big surprises if you are familiar with this type of storytelling. Another minor issue is that too many details are revealed rather quickly through flashbacks. This movie would have been even better if it had given its audience the time and occasion to come to its own conclusions and put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Still, Knives Out offers one hundred thirty minutes of old-fashioned but well-executed murder-mystery entertainment and convinces thanks to a solid plot, great locations and gifted actresses and actors. In addition to this, this film also offers some soial criticism by pointing out the egoism, greed and manipulation of the rich and the famous. If you want to know what kind of movies your parents or grand-parents enjoyed when they were younger, give this film a fair chance. Sometimes, going back to basics means advancing in the right direction.