Monday Movie Review: Knives Out
Guys. This movie. I can barely even. I went to see an early access screening of Knives Out over the weekend, and while I was looking forward to this movie since I saw the first preview, I was still blown away by how fantastic it was. I definitely wouldn’t call myself a murder mystery fan in any capacity (though I am really freaking good at Clue), but I enjoyed every single second of this film.
Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is a world famous mystery writer who has made millions selling his books. He lives in basically the coolest house I’ve ever seen and really, the only bad part about his life is dealing with his mostly obnoxious children and grandchildren. The morning after his eighty-fifth birthday, his housekeeper finds him dead in his study, having slit his own throat. The police come in to investigate, and all kinds of hilarity ensues. In addition to the possible homicide, there’s also issues with the kids and the will and who is going to get which pieces of the Harlan Thrombey pie. When renowned private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired to assist the detectives on the case, everything is turned upside down. Obviously I don’t want to give too much away (it’s a mystery y’all), but there are lots and lots of hijinks to be had.
If you’ve taken even just a quick glance at the cast list for this movie, you know it’s out of this world. Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Shannon play Harlan’s adult children. Toni Collette is the hippie daughter-in-law. And of course, Chris Evans is the obnoxious grandson. But despite the big names (who are all fabulous), the breakout star of this movie is Ana de Armas, who plays Marta, Harlan’s nurse and companion. She is completely captivating in a cast of all-stars. Though honestly, my favorite performance comes from Chris Evans, in a role so completely opposite from Captain America, it’s almost hard to believe they’re the same actor (and those sweaters…yowza).
The movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson (best known for The Last Jedi) and the story and script are spectacular. Also, I don’t know who the set decorator was, but they did a magnificent job and holy shit that must have been the most fun project ever. Knives Out is a guaranteed good time. I laughed my ass off. I was surprised by almost all of the twists and turns. I was in from the first shot, and I stayed in for the entire two hours (I didn’t even get up to use the bathroom so you know it was good). Pretty sure I will be seeing this one again because I’m sure there are jokes and clues I missed the first time.
Basically, this is the perfect movie to see this week when you get to the point where your family is driving you so crazy you feel like strangling them. Thank me later. Knives Out gets an A from me!
