Johnson Delivers More Expectation Subversions

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2019)

Knives Out is a murder mystery movie through and through, echoing Sherlock, Poirot, and Murder She Wrote. But being a Rian Johnson movie, there's more beneath the surface than the obvious callbacks and parodies. If you go into this movie feeling like you know the outcome, you're wrong. This is a mystery cliché-free zone. The movie opens with the apparent suicide of a successful murder mystery author and the subsequent gathering of his family for the funeral, memorial, and will reading. Meanwhile a private detective has been hired by an anonymous client to look further into the suicide, with the full resources of the local police department behind him.
The biggest and earliest cliché dodge of the movie is in revealing the details of Harlan Thrombey's death in the first half an hour. Yes, this is a murder mystery where the murder is solved (at least for the audience) really early. It's an inspiring choice that goes a long way to setting up the rest of the movie. We then follow the cover-up underneath Benoit Blanc's nose the entire time, giving us a fresh and new perspective in an otherwise overdone and tired genre. But don't let this lull you into thinking there's no mystery to be had. The explanation we get is still riddled with holes (doughnut holes, to be more precise), and there's the ever-pervading mystery of who hired Benoit Blanc in the first place, and why. I know what you're thinking, because I was thinking it too, but no, that's not the big twist at the end either.
But Knives Out's success lies in not only the unpredictable twist, but the ingenious journey there. The climax of the movie is neither plainly obvious, but nor is it a complete left hook, coming out of nowhere based on no evidence, or on evidence only Benoit Blanc has seen, or on an overabundance of evidence and red herrings, nor is it so outlandish it borders on the unbelievable. The hints and clues are there throughout the movie if you're keen enough to catch them. I caught a couple myself, but had no way of applying them or even knowing they were clues until the final reveal at the end. By the time the credits have rolled, every loose end has been neatly tied up, and every set-up paid off in one way or another. There's an obvious set-up in the prop knife, but also keep a look out for the baseball and make sure you track its movements as the movie goes on, as well as the odd line and snippet of information offered by the characters, particularly around games.
There's more to Knives Out than just the murder mystery though. For starters the cinematography is electric. It may not be so obvious as some of Johnson's previous work, but there's still some great cinematic shots to enjoy. Examples include Benoit's face bathed in shadow as he lights his cigar, or Meg's illuminated eyes while on the phone to Marta. Likewise the soundtrack perfectly embodies the murder mystery genre and makes you feel right at home as soon as the movie begins. It won't win any awards, but it suits the movie and does its job.
Somewhat surprisingly there's also a level of comey throughout. Never quite laugh-out-loud hilarious, but there's plenty of jokes and running gags. Daniel Craig in particular seems to be having a lot of fun with this movie, putting on an over-the-top southern drawl, and coming out with lines such as "The Nazi child masturbating in the bathroom" and "The doughnut had a hole in the middle that was filled by another doughnut, your doughnut, but your doughnut also has a hole in the middle". Surprisingly Michael Shannon has a selection of fantastic lines as well, such as "I will not eat one iota of sh*t" and "You want a cookie now?!" Chris Evans is another one quite obviously having a great time as a smarmy git, in stark contrast to his Captain America persona (sorry dude, you will always be compared to your most iconic role).
On the note of acting, it was great to see Ana de Armas in the leading role (no, this is not Daniel Craig's movie), and not once did her insane attractiveness come up or be exemplified over her role in the story. She was her character and played her role like any other actor, proving that she absolutely has the acting chops capable of carrying an entire movie on her shoulders. Toni Collette is another stand-out as a privileged fashion/health guru, as is Christopher Plummer as the unfortunate Harlan Thrombey. And it was nice to actually see Frank Oz again, in his first live-action role in nearly twenty years.
Knives Out was an all-round good fun movie. It'll keep you guessing up to the last, it'll keep you laughing and amused as it all unravels, and there's plenty more to mine in multiple viewings. I can't say it's the best of Rian Johnson's work, but it carries on his neverending streak of really good movies. I give Knives Out a solid 8/10.