Everyone has a motive

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2019)

Knives Out - When you've been yearning for a murder mystery of substance for years, comes Knives Out to satiate all your hunger. It's intriguing, thick with a plot, has star appeal, is mounted on a lavish scale and is taut. It may not exactly be an edge of the seat thriller, but it has all the commercial aspects that keep the viewers glued on, pretty much like the yesteryear Hitchcock or Agatha Christie novels.
When Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in the morning following a family party, everyone is a suspect because each family member allegedly has a motive. The police however want to believe that it's a case of suicide and move on. Enter detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who has been hired by an anonymous client interested to solve the case, the investigation starts taking sinister turns and no one is spared. The private nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) remains a central character as in her lies the answer to a number of questions and she can help take Blanc to solve the mystery.
Director Rian Johnson spins an interesting web of lies, smokescreen and deception. There are ample avenues and attempts to steer the viewers away from making intelligent guesses about the real motive and the potential murderer and he is quite successful in achieving the objective. The conclusion and climax are quite unorthodox and uncomfortable. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Don Johnson and Toni Collette in very important roles, Knives Out makes for a compelling watch. It will fill you with an appreciation for the runaway story, depth of characters, detailed scripting and screenplay and the rich backdrop. Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas walk away with the honours in the histrionics department and Nathan Johnson must be applauded for the original music. Must watch film for everyone.