Thumbs up for Knives Out

One of the biggest complaints about Hollywood is the lack of originality. The endless parade of recycled intellectual property and soulless sequels have always been par for the course. As the adage goes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” But many filmmakers have taken concepts and tropes used in the past to great effect. Directors like Quentin Tarantino have made a career of this kind of cinema pastiche. The trick is to arrange them with care and style to make them feel spontaneous, allowing for an air of mystery about these elements. And mystery is what we get here from Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.

Rian Johnson is only a household name for most Star Wars fans for “The Last Jedi”. And as derisive as that film is, I am not getting into that debate. My first encounter with Johnson was with “Brick”(2005) back in college, itself an homage to film noir and pulpy detective fiction. That film was enjoyable and it provided solid evidence that this genre would be a great fit for him. To be honest, I have not seen another film by him since, including the space abomination of The Last Jedi as some have deemed it. But there was certainly some hype going into the Knives Out release. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised at the results.

From most of the marketing you can see that this is very much in the vein of an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Christopher Plummer plays the wealthy patriarch who is dead at the opening, and we are treated to rogues’ gallery of his extended family. Colorful and scene-stealing, we are treated to the likes of Jamie-Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, and Don Johnson. It is refreshing to see a film that knows just how much to use these performers. Any lesser filmmaker would capitalize on the stars and the film would drown from the weight.

Much like a great mystery novel, a little goes a long way for establishing mood and character. Each one gives a taste of the events leading up to where we are, allowing for their particular nuanced delivery. One thing I must warn going in is that if you expect to see a lot of Chris Evans, he only shows up in the second half of the movie. Yes, he’s shown a bit during the flashbacks but isn’t fully incorporated into the story until later. But like I said, what we are given is just enough.

The real stars of the film turn out to be Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas. Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a Poirot type with a dash of Colombo agitation to get under the suspects’ skins. For those who have only seen him as James Bond you all will be shocked to hear that this is phenomenally better. His use of Southern drawl and bumbling demeanor adds volume to an already well-written character. And de Armas as the deceased caretaker is the heart and soul of the film. Her journey, along with his, makes this wildly entertaining and provides much of the shock and awe as we pick through one clue after another.

Many have tried to graft more of a political bent onto this film. And I must say that has some basis in fact however most seem to be missing the point entirely. There is a flashback to a party conversation that does turn political but again Johnson uses this not pick a side. He does so to show the character’s stances but not their convictions. Plainly this is a family of horrible people and Johnson present them in a completely neutral light. He has much simpler moral goals in mind.

Overall “Knives Out” is a brilliant whodunnit that combines both old and new in order to make something totally original. It is safe to say that Hollywood might not learn these lessons. At the moment of typing this, the film has been doing well enough for there to be talk of a Benoit Blanc spinoff film. If Rian Johnson is back at the helm for writing and directing, that might be ok. But this film has taken it one step further for me. Stop being afraid of original content, Hollywood! And we will reward you in the end, kindly.

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