A review by Brooks Rich
Some people are going to look at this film and either think, ”Um, no thanks... I'll watch Clue,” or ”I hated The Last Jedi....fuck Rian Johnson.” This is the wrong attitude to have towards this movie because this is one of the most fun and well-written films to come out this year. Johnson is a fantastic screenwriter. This should be apparent to anyone who has seen Brick and Looper. Knives Out feels like the film he has been building to his entire career. Not only is the script incredibly tight and quick witted, Johnson's direction is superb. This is the best he's ever been behind the camera, and that's coming from a guy who adores Looper and Brick.
The plot is simple. A wealthy patriarch of a family has been killed and the police and a private investigator must try to navigate the victim's crazy family to get to the truth. I don't want to say anything else about the plot. Just watch the film. Don't let any beat of this film be spoiled for you. The trailer doesn't really even tell you how this movie plays out.
The star of this film is Rian Johnson's direction and the skilled hand of editor Bob Ducsay. Johnsons feels confident behind the camera, more than any other film he's directed. I think this is the start of a whole new chapter in Johnson's career. But a director is only as good as the crew he has and the editing in this film is fantastic. The cuts and scene transitions flow beautifully and never take away from the story. The editing especially shines in the first act as the mystery is set up.
The cast is stacked. Standout performances include Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ana de Armas. But the scene stealer is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the private investigator who has been hired to look into the case. Craig is having a ton of fun here and Johnson knows just how to direct him.
There are a few issues with the film. It's not perfect. There's some small holes in the mystery, but nothing that makes it fall apart. There's a character that's making fun of Internet trolls and that could have used a little more development. But these are all small complaints. Knives Out is a tight film and a fun ride the whole time. This is easily one of the best films of 2019. Check it out.
Rating: 4.5/5
Some people are going to look at this film and either think, ”Um, no thanks... I'll watch Clue,” or ”I hated The Last Jedi....fuck Rian Johnson.” This is the wrong attitude to have towards this movie because this is one of the most fun and well-written films to come out this year. Johnson is a fantastic screenwriter. This should be apparent to anyone who has seen Brick and Looper. Knives Out feels like the film he has been building to his entire career. Not only is the script incredibly tight and quick witted, Johnson's direction is superb. This is the best he's ever been behind the camera, and that's coming from a guy who adores Looper and Brick.
The plot is simple. A wealthy patriarch of a family has been killed and the police and a private investigator must try to navigate the victim's crazy family to get to the truth. I don't want to say anything else about the plot. Just watch the film. Don't let any beat of this film be spoiled for you. The trailer doesn't really even tell you how this movie plays out.
The star of this film is Rian Johnson's direction and the skilled hand of editor Bob Ducsay. Johnsons feels confident behind the camera, more than any other film he's directed. I think this is the start of a whole new chapter in Johnson's career. But a director is only as good as the crew he has and the editing in this film is fantastic. The cuts and scene transitions flow beautifully and never take away from the story. The editing especially shines in the first act as the mystery is set up.
The cast is stacked. Standout performances include Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ana de Armas. But the scene stealer is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the private investigator who has been hired to look into the case. Craig is having a ton of fun here and Johnson knows just how to direct him.
There are a few issues with the film. It's not perfect. There's some small holes in the mystery, but nothing that makes it fall apart. There's a character that's making fun of Internet trolls and that could have used a little more development. But these are all small complaints. Knives Out is a tight film and a fun ride the whole time. This is easily one of the best films of 2019. Check it out.
Rating: 4.5/5
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