A Cutting Edge Crime Comedy

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2019)

James Bond actor Daniel Craig plays amateur sleuth Benoit Blanc in "Looper" director Rian Johnson's elaborate, tongue-in-cheek whodunit "Knives Out" (***1/2 OUT OF ****) who describes the murder as a donut. He clarifies, however, that inside that donut is a second donut with its own hole. This convoluted crime caper is neither blood-spattered nor gruesome, so nobody need complain about anything looking remotely offensive. Indeed, we are given a glimpse of the murder victim after he has slit his throat, but the camera doesn't linger on this unsavory scene. Although profanity is held to a minimum, the F-word is uttered once, while the S-word is heard multiple times. Meantime, Johnson keeps everything fairly lighthearted throughout this 130-minute melodrama, with enough red herrings to keep you guessing about the identity of the killer. Mind you, the culprit is neither an intruder nor a blade-wielding maniac, but simply an irate member of a flawed family who feels betrayed by the family patriarch.
Basically, world-renowned, bestselling mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer of "Waterloo") appears to have committed suicide with his family ensconced on the premises. Thrombey's dysfunctional clan had converged on his secluded estate deep in the Massachusetts woods to celebrate his 85th birthday. "Knives Out" boasts a first-class cast, featuring Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer. Veteran character actor M. Emmet Walsh also makes a cameo. Although it rambles on loquaciously for two hours and ten minutes, Johnson jams a lot of action and exposition into those two plus hours to keep it amusing. Each of the family suspects in this murder-mystery is given as close to a three-dimensional character as time permits. Not surprisingly, each has a legitimate reason to want Harlan dead, and they lie not only to the authorities but also to Benoit Blanc.
Relying largely on red herrings (false clues), flashbacks, and testimonials from Thrombey clan members, "Knives Out" chronicles the investigation of Harlan Thrombey's death, which has all the earmarks of a suicide but turns out to be a homicide. Half of the action takes place at the Thrombey estate, while other scenes occur at Marta Cabrera's apartment in the city. An amusing car chase also transpires in town as well as a discovery later at an abandoned laundromat. Known as "the last of the gentleman sleuths," Benoit Blanc assists the local constabulary in their homicide investigation. Apparently, following his 85th birthday party, Harlan Thrombey settled down for the evening in his upstairs den. After his nurse Marta (Ana De Arma of "Knock Knock") had administered his evening injections, she departed at approximately midnight. Harlan's grown-up son Walt (Michael Shannon of "Man of Steel") saw him later that same night. The following morning, Harlan's housekeeper, Fran (Edi Patterson of "Troop Zero"), discovers his dead body and his slashed throat. While the police grill family members, Blanc lounges in the background, plinking on a piano. He shadows the detectives, but he doesn't believe a single word any of the family members utter. Everybody carries a chip on their respective shoulders where Harlan was concerned. Walt handled Harlan's publishing business, while the rest of the family benefitted from the elder patriarch's largesse. Nevertheless, Harlan has changed his will and written his entire family out of it! He has uncovered treachery on their part and punishes them for their deceit. Rather than turn his $60 million fortune and publishing empire over to them, Harlan wills it to his trusted nurse. Naturally, the Thrombey family is shocked. Initially, each had promised to take care of Marta. They treated her as part of "their family," but now they urge her to return the money to them.
Eventually, the truth of the matter, particularly Harlan's suicide, comes out. Nothing about it, however, is neat. As it turns out, Marta and Harlan had their own respective alibis. Moreover, it is ironic that things happened the way they did. One question that has baffled Blanc the entire time is his contribution to the investigation. He reveals that he received an envelope without a return address, but it came packed with a thick wad of greenbacks. Somebody in the family apparently wanted him to scrutinize all the testimonies and unearth something the police may have overlooked. As the audience, one of the first things we're shown occurs during Harlan's medical injections. It appears that Marta had gotten the prescription bottles switched, and she gave him a larger injection of Morphine than usual. Afterward, Marta ransacks her medical bag, but she cannot find the antidote for a drug overdose. Harlan realizes that he will die in several minutes, and he concocts a scheme that will not incriminate Marta. Furthermore, he also plans to commit suicide in an effort to conceal the wrong injection. Marta finds it difficult to answer questions truthfully. Moreover, she suffers from a peculiar condition which prompts her to projectile vomit after she tells a lie. Repeatedly, Johnson has a field day with Marta's projectile vomiting as a recurring gag.
If you thought Daniel Craig was hilarious as Joe Bang in "Logan Lucky," you'll be in stitches at his ersatz Southern accent that owes more to Foghorn Leghorn than Tennessee Williams. Craig plays a character diametrically opposite from his James Bond. Benoit Blanc is actually a little goofy as are most of the characters. Johnson ridicules all the Thrombey clan, except Marta. In the long run, Benoit solves the murder with a little help from the self-sacrificing Marta, and the guilty party is exposed. Benoit qualifies as the equivalent of the legendary Agatha Christie character Hercule Poirot. Furthermore, unlike his role as James Bond, Craig's latest character relies on his wits rather than his mitts in unraveling the tangled web of duplicity. The Thrombey Estate is something to see, and the multi-storied house with several flights and noisy stairs is the perfect setting for this quasi-Agatha Christie pastiche. Altogether, "Knives Out" qualifies as a cutting-edge, murder-mystery comedy.