An All-Star Ensemble Whodunnit

Rating: 7/10 (8 December 2019)

Knives Out is one of 2019's brightest original concept. It is a charming take on the Mystery genre. Knives Out is written and directed by Rian Johnson, and it portrays an All-Star cast of characters as a family fighting for inheritance in leu of a tragedy. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plumber as the Thrombey Family. Despite being centered around the Thrombey family and their tragedy, the film's protagonist is Marta portrayed by Ana De Armas. The best performance in the film comes from Daniel Craig's portrayal of Detective Benoit Blanc. Craig does an exceptional portraying a southern detective. His southern accent and intense body language present the film with a sense of levity. Most of the cast (with an exception of a few) have great chemistry and they make the film superb. The best part of this film is the acting, whereas the worst part comes from the writing.
Rian Johnson wrote the film and for the most part, his writing was not bad. However, in typical Rian Johnson fashion, his writing is very incohesive and inconsistent. The first half of this film serves as a daunting mystery with thrilling dialogue. The setup is incredible and is some of the best writing in 2019. Midway into the second act, the film loses its footing and becomes a family comedy. The first half of the film is squandered by a premature reveal that ultimately hurts the story. Essentially, the Knives Out story has no rhythm or flow. This lack of cohesion trickles down into the characters as well. Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc goes from the World's Smartest Detective to the World's Most Oblivious Private Eye. Furthermore, Characters such as Trooper Wagner (played by Noah Segan) water down the film with corny one liners of obscure or outdated Pop Culture references. The comedy in this film fluctuates from natural to corny. The conclusion of the film is unsatisfying as well, because it feels more like a reach than an actually well-thought out ending. The conclusion is borderline parody, because it makes no sense for the most part how the characters came to find out the nature of the true mystery. There are minor hints throughout the film, however using things such as Hallmark movies as a clue is very stupid. The writing was very incohesive and could have benefitted from more guidance.
Despite the poor writing, the film is thematically sound. The sociopolitical undertones of the film are well done. However, the dialogue toward immigration fluctuates between respectful and ignorant. The cinematography was great. The film was well-lit and finely produced. The digital cameras were great for this film. The set piece of Harlan Thrombey's estate was really intricate. The estate is great to look at, and it's akin to the estate in 1958's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". The audio quality and editing were fine. The compilation of flashbacks was refreshing.
Overall, Knives Out is one of 2019's best original story that was squandered by Rian Johnson's poor writing and corny humor. The film excels in acting and thematic storytelling, serving as a decent film with some of 2019's best casting.