Irate

Johnson creates a witty and clever ‘who dunnit’ in ‘Knives Out’

By Jason Guyer
The last time the oeuvre of Rian Johnson was talked about was the contentious “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was a great film and cinematic achievement. It just was not a good “Star Wars” film.

The much maligned “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” seemed to have taken a bite out of Johnson’s up and coming director status.

This was unfortunate but it was the result of issues other than filmmaking. Make no mistake, Johnson is still one of the best up and coming filmmakers out there.

Johnson spent the next two years defending his “Star Wars” entry and rightfully so. Now Johnson is back in theaters with a feature he wrote and directed: “Knives Out.”

“Knives Out” starts with the death of Harlan Thrombey. Thrombey, a crime novelist, dies just after his 85th birthday, creating a mystery for the ages.

When an inquisitive detective arrives at the THrombey estate to investigate, he finds a family of self-serving liars. As the Detective begins to rummage through misgivings and lies a picture starts to emerge.

Daniel Craig plays the inquisitive detective Benoit Blanc. Craig has wonderfully Southern lilt as Benoit Blanc and this accent gives his character depth and sets him apart from the rest of the characters in “Knives Out.”

“Knives Out” gets some of the best acting I have seen from Daniel Craig. Craig is over the top in a way that all eccentric detectives should be but subdued enough to not be over the top and take down the film. Benoit Blanc is instead one of the best characters in “Knives Out” as the lead detective should be since he carries the investigative part of the film.

The other lead who carries the film is Ana de Armas, who plays Marta Cabrera. Ana de Armas is one of the most underrated actors over the last ten years. Armas is best known for her role as Joi in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049.” However, her credits continue to compile as she will also be in the next James Bond film “No Time to Die.”

As Marta Cabrera, Ana de Armas delivers one of her best performances. The character of Marta Cabrera is the sympathetic, likable character we all want to win in “Knives Out.” She is treated rudely and with hostility by the Thrombey family, except by the patriarch Harlan Thrombey.

Marta Cabrera’s relation to each member of the family makes the story in “Knives Out” interesting and more complex than most ‘who dunnit’s” are.

The social context and narrative that Rian Johnson puts behind the character of Marta Cabrera is a progressively wonderful message that fits narratively in the film and is never forced into the film.

Armas holds the viewers attention and her character keeps the story engaging to the audience, without her the story would have a completely different feel and get lost in the oddness of its characters.

The Marta Caberera character, and especially Ana de Armas, keep the story grounded. That being said, the best part of “Knives Out” may just be the oddness of the cast of characters that make up the Thrombey family.

Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale is as good a change of pace from one film character to another that has ever been seen. Captain America to Ransom Drysdale is as big a contrast as you can get in characters. One is everyone’s favorite superhero and the other is a detestable socialite.

The husband and wife duo of Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson as Linda and Richard Drysdale are fantastically callous as Ransom’s parents. The pair convey that 1 percenter type callousness upturned nose that makes for a good on screen dynamic between husband and wife and the pair against other characters. The husband and wife’s treatment of Marta Cabrera shows their colors and character throughout the film.

The most likeable Thrombey is Meg Thrombey played by Katherine Langford. Langford is best known from the Netflix television show “13 Reasons Why.”

In “Knives Out” her character is the character who treats Marta Cabrera the best and is the least detestable socialite of the Thrombey family. Meg Thrombey’s colors do eventually shine through but even then she is a likeable character.

The rest of the Thrombey family become less and less likable and far more eccentric as the list of Thrombey characters gets larger.

All the way to Jacob Thrombey, the self-gratifying alt-right facist who is blatantly out to hate and especially hate Marta Cabrera. Jacob Thrombey is a great character juxtaposed against his entire family. Jacob is the extreme outlier who the family seems to dislike. Yet, as the family talks you realize where Jacob gets it from. The family may not be as extreme as Jacob but they say the same or similar things.

All these characters play wonderfully off one another and they all create a family dynamic that is perfect for a murder mystery.

The murder mystery is the best part of “Knives Out.” This is as it should be for any ‘whodunnit’ type of film. If a ‘whodunnit’ film is not concentrating on the mystery of ‘whodunnit’ then it can not and will not ever be a good ‘whodunnit.’

This is where Rian Johnson excels.

In “Knives Out,” Johnson creates a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie or any other predecessor in literary of film ‘whodunnit’s.’ Johnson keeps the audience entertained while offering clues that give the viewer a chance to stay ahead or solve the mystery. The clues are also not so overt that they just give away the film and leave nothing left to be found by the end.

The reveal at the end is interesting and clever and never strays into an area that becomes unbelievable or different from the film that the audience just watched.

When it comes to films like “Knives Out” and films like it, the mystery and reveal are everything. The film’s reveal and mystery are its strongest case for being a great film.

The one caveat is that if you see this film in a theater, hope for a quiet theater. You only get one chance with a ‘whodunnit’ and a bad theater can spoil that one chance. This happened to me. I was in a theater with excessively noisy people and you couldn’t hear things you should or needed to. The constant distraction pulled attention for what could have been a great experience with the film. I had to see the film a second time and the second experience was far better but you never get back that first experience with a great ‘whodunnit.”

“Knives Out” is worth the risk to see in theaters because in the age of spoilers, you do not want this film spoiled. It deserves your attention.

As Benoit Blanc affirms in the film: “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to request that you all stay until the investigation is completed.”

IRATE SCORE: 4/5

Jason Guyer is an avid moviegoer and works in the graphics department at the Eagle Times. For questions or comments he can be emailed at [email protected].

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