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Knives Out, 2019
Harlan (Christopher Plummer) is the patriarch of a wildly dysfunctional, overly wealthy family. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Harlan dies and his caring medical companion, Marta (Ana de Armas), gets caught up in the investigation. Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) must unravel various family secrets and loyalties as Harlan’s death might not be the last.
This is a fun whodunnit that lives in an outlandish, Agatha-Christie-turned-up-to-eleven space.
This was my third or fourth viewing of this film, and my main reaction was relief that I still enjoyed it almost as much as the first time I saw it. Mysteries in particular can sometimes lose a bit of their shine on a rewatch once the answers have all been revealed and the suspense just doesn’t hit in the same way. But this movie thrives on over-the-top performances and detail-rich set design that remains just as satisfying the third time through.
Ana de Armas makes for a very sympathetic lead as Marta must simultaneously aid in solving the unfolding mystery while trying to conceal her own involvement in Harlan’s death. And against this kind of lead character, Craig’s Blanc is the perfect foil. The thing about Blanc is that you can never quite tell if he’s brilliant or a bit dim, and further you can’t tell if that impression is intentional or not. But one thing that does come through is his empathy for Marta. Many aspects of his character (and of the structure of the film itself) evoke the Columbo mysteries in a good way.
The rest of the supporting cast is stacked, and the family is basically a trail mix of terrible rich people. Whether in the form of crunchy granola hippy Joni (Toni Collette) or “Nazi child” Jacob (Jaeden Martell), the Thrombey family ultimately only cares about their own wealth and comfort. Marta seemingly finds an ally in terrible rich kid Ransom (Chris Evans) who helps her mainly out of a desire to stick it to the rest of the family. An easy signifier of the family’s personality is that not a single one of them actually knows where Marta is from (Guatemala? Honduras?), yet talks about it as if they are authorities on her.
The setting of the film, mainly taking place in the sprawling Thrombey mansion, is its own character. The foreground and background of just about any sequence rewards you for paying attention to the art or artifacts strewn about. The color matching and the costuming lends the film a vibrancy that just adds to the overall sense of saturation.
I have always loved mysteries, and it’s really nice to watch one where the violence is relatively subdued and the themes are there but not overwhelming or heavy. There’s something mellow about this movie, where there’s suspense but in a cozy way.
Just a good time all around.
Knives Out, 2019
Harlan (Christopher Plummer) is the patriarch of a wildly dysfunctional, overly wealthy family. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Harlan dies and his caring medical companion, Marta (Ana de Armas), gets caught up in the investigation. Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) must unravel various family secrets and loyalties as Harlan’s death might not be the last.
This is a fun whodunnit that lives in an outlandish, Agatha-Christie-turned-up-to-eleven space.
This was my third or fourth viewing of this film, and my main reaction was relief that I still enjoyed it almost as much as the first time I saw it. Mysteries in particular can sometimes lose a bit of their shine on a rewatch once the answers have all been revealed and the suspense just doesn’t hit in the same way. But this movie thrives on over-the-top performances and detail-rich set design that remains just as satisfying the third time through.
Ana de Armas makes for a very sympathetic lead as Marta must simultaneously aid in solving the unfolding mystery while trying to conceal her own involvement in Harlan’s death. And against this kind of lead character, Craig’s Blanc is the perfect foil. The thing about Blanc is that you can never quite tell if he’s brilliant or a bit dim, and further you can’t tell if that impression is intentional or not. But one thing that does come through is his empathy for Marta. Many aspects of his character (and of the structure of the film itself) evoke the Columbo mysteries in a good way.
The rest of the supporting cast is stacked, and the family is basically a trail mix of terrible rich people. Whether in the form of crunchy granola hippy Joni (Toni Collette) or “Nazi child” Jacob (Jaeden Martell), the Thrombey family ultimately only cares about their own wealth and comfort. Marta seemingly finds an ally in terrible rich kid Ransom (Chris Evans) who helps her mainly out of a desire to stick it to the rest of the family. An easy signifier of the family’s personality is that not a single one of them actually knows where Marta is from (Guatemala? Honduras?), yet talks about it as if they are authorities on her.
The setting of the film, mainly taking place in the sprawling Thrombey mansion, is its own character. The foreground and background of just about any sequence rewards you for paying attention to the art or artifacts strewn about. The color matching and the costuming lends the film a vibrancy that just adds to the overall sense of saturation.
I have always loved mysteries, and it’s really nice to watch one where the violence is relatively subdued and the themes are there but not overwhelming or heavy. There’s something mellow about this movie, where there’s suspense but in a cozy way.
Just a good time all around.