Knives Out
04/12/19 Filed in: Cinema
A classic Whodunnit, this film will appeal to all the amateur sleuths among you. Like any good Agatha Christie, all the clues are there. It's just a matter of spotting them.
Renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey commits suicide, or so it seems. That would probably have been the end of things if it wasn't for the fact the investigating detective and his patrolman sidekick weren't accompanied by one Benoit Blanc, a well known private detective. Blanc has been hired by an unknown party who, we assume, suspects foul play.
Harlan's body is discovered the morning after his 85th birthday party, a gathering of the whole family - naturally, as we need plenty of suspects. The following day the somewhat dysfunctional family members are interviewed one by one in classic whodunnit fashion. As things unfold we see that each of them could have a motive for murder. Indeed, nothing is as it first appears, or as it is first recounted. Unusually for this genre we learn who did it quite early in the film but, as you might expect, it ain't that simple.
The key to everything is Harlan's nurse, Marta, who has an interesting affliction. If she lies, she then vomits. This provides Benoit Blanc with a very reliable witness, albeit one that seems to have something to hide. As I've said, we learn what actually happened far too early, so it's obvious that things aren't quite that obvious. The trick is spotting why. I had an inkling as to what had happened, but admit that the final reveal was a lot more complicated.
The cast is a list of who's who, with Daniel Craig playing Benoit Blanc with a southern accent that is really something to behold. The family comprises Christopher Plummer as the short-lived patriarch, Harlan. Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale, the husband of Harlan's daughter Linda, who's played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Michael Shannon as the much put-upon youngest son, Walt, CEO of his father's publishing company, but in name only! Toni Collette is Joni, the widowed 'self-made' (sic) daughter-in-law, a life-style guru and influencer. She's been double-charging Harlan for her own daughter's school fees, and so lining her pockets. And then there's the black sheep of the family, Hugh, the son of Linda and Richard who's played by Chris Evans. He has a glorious bust-up with his grandfather the evening of the birthday party before charging out of the house in a rage. And finally, in the background is Nana Thrombey, Harlan's very elderly mother, who knows a lot more than everybody thinks.
So there it is. Rotten Tomatoes is ecstatic, with 97% critics' score and 93% from the audiences. Oh, by the way, it's also very amusing.
Enjoy.
The cast is a list of who's who, with Daniel Craig playing Benoit Blanc with a southern accent that is really something to behold. The family comprises Christopher Plummer as the short-lived patriarch, Harlan. Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale, the husband of Harlan's daughter Linda, who's played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Michael Shannon as the much put-upon youngest son, Walt, CEO of his father's publishing company, but in name only! Toni Collette is Joni, the widowed 'self-made' (sic) daughter-in-law, a life-style guru and influencer. She's been double-charging Harlan for her own daughter's school fees, and so lining her pockets. And then there's the black sheep of the family, Hugh, the son of Linda and Richard who's played by Chris Evans. He has a glorious bust-up with his grandfather the evening of the birthday party before charging out of the house in a rage. And finally, in the background is Nana Thrombey, Harlan's very elderly mother, who knows a lot more than everybody thinks.
So there it is. Rotten Tomatoes is ecstatic, with 97% critics' score and 93% from the audiences. Oh, by the way, it's also very amusing.
Enjoy.