End twist is the biggest attraction

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2020)

Knives Out is a 2019 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. The film features an amazing cast- Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.
The film plots around the death of Harlan Thrombey a famous crime novelist. He invites his family to his Massachusetts mansion for his 85th birthday. The next morning Harlan's, housekeeper Fran when came to his room for giving breakfast she found Harlan dead, with his throat cut. The police were sure it was suicide, but an anonymous person hires Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) to reinvestigate the case. From here starts the main story. Benoit after questioning the family members learn that Harlan's relation with his family was not so good: he threatened to expose his son-in-law Richard (played by Don Johnson) for cheating on his wife Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), cut off his daughter-in-law Joni's(Toni Collette) allowance for stealing from him, fired his younger son Walt(Michael Shannon ) from his publishing company, and had a noisy argument with his grandson Ransom(played by Chris Evans)
the black sheep of the family.
After the family members interrogation enters Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan's nurse. Marta had a problem that she couldn't lie without vomiting, so she gives true but incomplete answers when Blanc questions her. This is so because she knows she is directly related with Harlan's death. The truth was after the party, she, accidentally administered Harlan an overdose of morphine instead of his usual medication, and then realized what she had done upon seeing the label on the medication vial. She was not able to find the antidote naloxone leaving Harlan minutes to live. In order to protect Marta, Harlan gave her instruction to create a false alibi so that she is not suspected for his death. At first Marta refuses to do so as she knew she would vomit for telling lies. So Harlan told her to tell the truth but in incomplete form. He then cut his own throat and Marta carried his instructions. Blanc asks her to assist in his investigation. As they search the property, Marta attempts to conceal evidence of her guilt. Harlan's will is read: he left everything to Marta and his family members were astonished at this decision. He said in his will, "I Harlan Thrombey being of good sound and mind leave my business, all assets and mansion to Marta Cabrera". At first the family members started blaming the lawyer and they turn on to her, but Ransom helps her to escape. Ransom then takes her to restaurant where he persuades her to confess and offers to help her from being caught by the detective in exchange for his share of the inheritance. Marta then receives an anonymous blackmail letter of Harlan's toxicology report where it was written in bold "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID". She and Ransom drive to the medical examiner's office, but the building has been willfully destroyed by fire. Marta then receives an anonymous email with a time and address to meet the blackmailer. Blanc and the police, also investigating the medical examiner's office, spot Marta and Ransom. After a brief car chase, the police arrest Ransom. Marta then goes to the address as received in the email. Upon reaching there she discovered that Fran was unconscious and drugged at a high dosage. In her hand there was there was the missing medical report of her own. Marta at first hesitates thinking that Fran would expose Marta's crime, but finally calls 911 emergency and takes her to the hospital. Marta on her way to the hospital confesses to Blanc about her sin, but she was unaware that Ransom had already informed about her. At the house, Blanc finds a copy of the full toxicology report hidden in Fran's flower pot. Blanc reads it, and then interrupts Marta before she can confess to the family that she caused Harlan's death.
Here comes a big twist in the story. Blanc now reveals the true incident: After Ransom had an argument with Harlan at the party and he learned that Harlan was leaving everything to Marta he became angry and left the party. But he didn't actually leave. He just went outside the house to make sure that in the security cameras it showed he left. He then returned through the back door and swapped the contents of Marta's medication vials and stole the antidote so she would kill Harlan with an overdose of morphine, making her ineligible to claim the inheritance by the slayer rule. However, Marta actually injected the correct medicine unknowingly without reading the labels, recognizing it by the weight and viscosity of the fluid, and is therefore innocent of Harlan's death. After the death was reported as suicide, Ransom anonymously hired Blanc to expose Marta as a murderer. Fran later saw Ransom stealing Marta's medical case to hide the fact that the contents of the vials had been switched, and sent him the blackmail note. Realizing that Marta had unknowingly given Harlan the correct medication, Ransom forwarded the note to Marta. He burned down the medical examiner's office to destroy evidence of Marta's innocence. Finally, he drugged Fran with an overdose of morphine and emailed her location to Marta, planning to frame Marta for Fran's murder. After that when the call from Fran's hospital came Marta tricks Ransom into confessing by lying that Fran has survived and will implicate him; after he confesses, she vomits on him, revealing the lie. Enraged, he attacks her with a knife, but it is a retractable false stage knife. The police have recorded Ransom's confession, and arrest him. Marta asks Blanc when he realized she played a part in Harlan's death, and Blanc responds that he knew from the beginning, noting a small spot of blood on one of Marta's shoes. As the police takes Ransom into custody, Marta watches the Thrombey family depart from what is now her mansion.
The plot of Knives Out is enjoyably, wickedly twisted. Even if the audience already guesses who has committed the crime, it won't be easy to figure out who actually has. The movie's pleasures lie in the way how these characters, each of them though well-defined always against one another even when they are pretending to be on the same side. The twist at the end of the plot is the main area of attraction for the audience. According to me it is a must watch film for all thriller movie lovers.
This was the review of Knives Out,
by Pritam Bhattacharyya