Release Year: 2019
Director: Rian Johnson*
Runtime: 131 minutes
Fewer genres rely on conventions quite as much as a murder mystery. Similarities between sci-fi movies from Blade Runner to Arrival or between fantasy movies from Narnia to Hobbit are met with copious amounts of originality and unique spins on the genre basics… but most mystery movies have difficulty breaking out of the style their genre often sets for them. Rian Johnson has proven himself capable of bringing life and originality to the genre with the neo noir masterpiece Brick, and I can confidently say he definitely strikes again with his 2019 feature film Knives Out.
From the opening shots detailing Thrombey Manor, it is already evident that the film is going to be a beautifully shot one: shoutout to Steve Yedlin for helming such visual quality that hooked me in before the story even began. The acting was also immediately intriguing, with convincing performances all across the impressive cast. Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig were perfect for their roles and fully deserved their positions as the stars, but Chris Evans was also so shockingly suave at playing Ransom that I almost felt bad for tying him to Captain America all this time. Michael Shannon also proved he deserves way more credit for playing those vexing characters that somebody has to play. He was very impressive as well. Finally, it felt great to see LaKieth Stanfield in another role he quickly mastered.
Once the plot began, I was taken aback by how well paced it was. Things moved along at a believable but understandable speed, and it feels like actually watching it all unfold, rather than knowing ultimately more than the detectives and having to sit through their guesswork. Then came the twist: it is revealed that Marta, the innocent one (and her innocence is reinforced by at least half a dozen foils, whose egos and coarse manner of talking with one another made me instantly and credibly hate them) is allegedly the perpetrator. A mystery movie where the criminal is revealed in the first half hour? In a frankly plausible way? This was a risk masterfully taken, and reminded me of masterpieces like Fargo or even Shakespeare plays where the audience knows who the killer is, and poignant direction derives the enjoyment from other genuine aspects of the story.
Then Johnson flexed his writing skills even further once again** when it’s revealed Marta is actually innocent: the “grand reveal” scene that was practically guaranteed by the premise, then (reasonably) subverted by the plot, is reinstated in a plot twist that was unexpected, was well covered, was well explained, and actually makes sense. The only lull I ever felt in the movie came right before this striking scene. The ways Benoit figured it out were reasonable, the red herrings were hardly red in that they weren’t cheap, and it all came together so neatly without losing any of the grit the actual events possessed. I had a single grievance, that even if Marta was innocent she still royally messed up in mixing up the bottles, but even this was cleared up. She administered to Harlan based on the medicines themselves, not the labels, and as Benoit tells her, she simply is “a good nurse.”
On top of all of that, the movie is exceedingly funny. With genuine, complex, and well-timed jokes placed evenly throughout the film, tension was less broken and more teased in innovative wit. The modern elements scattered across the lingo and priorities of the characters were also a nice touch. Knives Out is a very self-aware movie that teaches a humane lesson in treating others equally without having a preachy agenda. Harpooning multiple viewpoints, the film is culturally involved without being so maniacal or overdone about it.
The final shot solidified this movie as a really special one, with Marta’s figurative moral position “above” the Thrombeys expressed obviously but effectively in her physical looking down on them. Her holding the symbolic coffee mug that started the whole film’s cinematography was the pure definition of a nice touch. With a compelling story that is appealingly told (and somehow used conventions to break storytelling ground), entertainingly realistic characters, and witty relevance all cinematically well packaged in good portion, Knives Out is definitely an essential mystery movie achievement.
*One of my favorite directors
**I do not mean to be redundant when I say “further once again,” since I’ve seen him contribute great writing to a film, then top himself later in the film (hence “further”) on multiple occasions, such as in Brick or Looper (hence “once again”).
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