Knives Out

SPOILERS!!

Writer/director Rian Johnson gets to have it both ways, have his cake and eat it too, AND get a little revenge on all those pinhead trolls who lambasted his previous movie, THE LAST JEDI, with his follow up, 2019's KNIVES OUT.  What a joy it was to see a modern day film follow a time honored (and worn) whodunit premise and allow its author to lace it with some contemporary digs.  I say that out of both sides of my mouth, however, as I feel some of the social and political commentary of this film is less successful than the Agatha Christie inspired elements.  I suspect many of the viewers who made this film a 300 + million dollar box office success either ignored or barely got the references, though one would have to be pretty dense to miss them.

And Johnson nicely tricks us more than once, perhaps.  This whodunit is somewhat different as we know who killed famous crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) early on.  But maybe it was an accident? Or maybe actually a suicide? Or maybe someone else engineered said accident and/or suicide? The family of suspects is introduced with onscreen titles -

1.  Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), Harlan's daughter.

2.  Richard (Don Johnson), Linda's husband

3.  Walter (Michael Shannon), Harlan's son and president of his publishing company

4.  Hugh (Chris Evans), spoiled, cocky son of Linda and Richard.

5.  Joni (Toni Collette), Harlan's daughter-in-law widow of son Neil

6.  Megan (Katherine Langford), Joni's college age daughter

7.  Jacob (Jaeden Martell), Walter's teenage son who rarely looks up from his phone

8.  Donna (Riki Lindhome) - Walter's wife

There's also Marta (Ana de Armas), Harlan's nurse.  She will be quite pivotal to the plot.

The investigation is led by private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) - a modern day Hercule Poirot (with a dash of Columbo) if you will, who received the job from an anonymous individual.   He's got a nose for detail, some of which he doesn't reveal to us until quite late in the proceedings. We may know more than him for awhile (Harlan's death is shown, more or less), but he's still several steps ahead of the other characters, and many audience members, I'm sure.  Johnson keeps us riveted, but in a casual, somewhat laid back fashion.  This movie really is like a satisfying mug of Earl Grey or the like.  The production design and art direction are near perfect for this sort of thing.  Steve Yedlin shot digitally but it looks like film.

Then there's the commentary.  I probably could've done without the flashback scene where many of the characters have a debate about our current President.  You've probably had such a conversation yourself if those of other partisan stripes cross your path.  It was too obvious that the director was venting.  There is also a far from subtle allegory about immigration that will please more liberal viewers, though honestly I've heard little complaint from Trump supporters. These elements are interesting, and I guess I'm thankful for them.  But the old school mystery tropes, well preserved in a contemporary entertainment, are what make KNIVES OUT special.