Christie mixed with Hitchcock rummy cocktail!

Rating: 9/10 (29 January 2020)

What a movie! No superheroes, no computer graphics, no violence, nothing broken except a trellis of a false window! Just about, say, 50ml of blood spilt. Nobody was out to destroy the worlds or universe and no one in capes with their underwear worn outside to save the planets. Lovely music. Lovely environs of a huge old house filled with scene stealing bric-a-bracs. Superb actors in an ensemble cast all of who were made to do exactly what the director wanted and they did it superbly. A whodunit movie from the good old times when they used to tell a good story that made sure that your finger never went near the pause button. An intoxicating combination of Christie and Hitchcock. A lovely heroine, without makeup or skilfully underdone one, who is a murder suspect. A rich old man found with his throat cut and many of his family members have the motive to do him in. A suicide by cutting one's own throat - a first for me in a crime movie. Suicde? Accident? Murder? The story moves as fast and smoothly as a Federer backhand.
But it has as many twists as Nadal's topspin forehand, with a nasty bounce. Dialogues are sharp and to the point as in the old noir
movies.The charisma and screen presence of the ex 007 and Captain America himself are utilised to the full. The climax is gripping and not long drawn out. Everything picture perfect and I won't ask pardon for the pun. The only jarring note for me was the accent of the private detective Blanc. Perhaps it was done to ward off the evil eye, a dristi pottu as we say in Tamil. All in all a movie which will not
cause the critics to come with their Knives Out! The capo de tutti capi of directors, one M. Scorcese must have been delighted to watch this opus of Rian Johnson. The good news is that a sequel is planned for the future. Did we see the beginning of a franchise? Most welcome sez I.