Review: Knives Out
(Promotional photo)
By Ethan Cannistra, Staff Writer
Knives Out is a classic murder mystery film that follows the story of Detective Blanc as he investigates Harlan Thrombey’s suicide following a family party. However, Detective Blanc believes that there is more to Harlan’s death than a suicide. Blanc is determined to uncover the truth and determine what really happened on the night of Harlan’s death.
The director of Knives Out, Rian Johnson, keeps viewers on their toes throughout the entire movie. Just when you think the mystery is solved, Johnson throws another twist into the story that the audience does not see coming. Nor do any of the surprises in this film feel as though they were forced into the movie. Every twist is consistent with what has been established in the film and how we understand the major characters. No scene in Knives Out is wasted; rather, every scene builds up to the climatic final act where all the paths come together and everything comes to light.
I found it very impressive that Johnson was able to create a film with so much tension and story taking place in just one location. The reason that audiences can be entertained by a film that is mostly filmed in the same place can be attributed to the interactions between the cast. The script written by Johnson allowed for lots of interaction between all of the characters and allowed for great character building. I really feel as though I understood each character’s motivation by the end of the film.
All of the performances in Knives Out are fantastic. One of the standouts was Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale. In this film, Evans has demonstrated that he has great talent as an actor and can succeed outside of his role as Captain America. Another standout performance in the film was Daniel Craig as Detective Blanc. Craig created a character out of Detective Blanc that he could potentially play for years and it would never get boring to watch.
Overall, Knives Out is a very fun murder mystery film with a great cast of characters played by exceptional actors. Johnson’s writing will keep you guessing throughout the entire film.
