Knives Out (2019)
Rated PG-13
Starring Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer
Written and Directed by Rian Johnson
On the night of his 85th birthday, Harley Thrombey (Plummer) gathers his family at his home to celebrate. However before the night is over, Harley is dead and everyone in his family is a suspect!
You can start with the old standbys when discussing Hollywood:
They're out of new ideas.
They don't make them like they used to.
Then Rian Johnson effectively says, "hold my beer" and dusts off the all-star murder mystery of days gone by and sends you on a twisty turvy ride that grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
Will you solve the whodunnit before the reveal?
Quite likely.
Will you still remain engaged throughout?
Absolutely.
I would almost dare to defy a movie lover to not enjoy this film.
I've bemoaned bloated running times and how many movies could/would have been much better if they had left 30 minutes (or more!) on the cutting room floor.
This film is precisely the opposite.
So well paced, it never feels like it stretches over the 2 hour mark, and I don't think I would have been bothered if there had been more scenes left in or extended.
It's a testament to Johnson's script and the assembled cast that they flesh out every character from the leads to the bit players and give everyone on a screen a fully realized three dimensional person.
The movie never cheats the audience or itself in the slow reveal of the entire story, and that in itself is worthy of praise.
A sequel is reportedly in the works, most likely centering on Benoit Blanc (Craig). If it's half as good as this first adventure, it will be a rollicking good time.
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