Knives Out
November 27, 2019 in theaters
Rian Johnson's 2019 whodunit arrived as a love letter to the Agatha Christie tradition and a sharp-edged satire of American wealth. When bestselling author Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his mansion, the investigation falls to Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, a Southern gentleman detective with a drawl and a precise mind. The Thrombey family is a nest of resentments, hidden finances, and entitlement, and Johnson structures the mystery to reveal its layers from multiple perspectives, never letting the audience settle into a single vantage point. Ana de Armas plays Harlan's nurse and the story's true moral center, the one person who seems to genuinely care about the old man. Johnson's script is a clockwork mechanism, every line a potential clue, every character a suspect, every room a piece of the puzzle. The film proved that the classic murder mystery could still draw theatrical audiences when executed with this level of craft.
Cast
Director
TRAILER
QUOTE
"I suspect nothing. I investigate. That is what I do."
-- Benoit Blanc
DID YOU KNOW?
Ana de Armas was cast after Johnson saw her in Blade Runner 2049; he wrote the role of Marta specifically for her.
THE VERDICT
Synthesized from published reviews
Johnson operates at the top of his game, constructing a mystery that rewards attention without punishing it. Craig's Blanc is the most original detective creation in years, and Ana de Armas is the film's quiet revelation. The Thrombey family is a flawless ensemble of awful people, and the script's political undercurrent gives the mystery a bite that elevates it above mere pastiche. A modern classic of the genre.
GALLERY
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