Is Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ Worth the Watch?

Knives Out is a first-of-its-kind mystery murder thriller.

 

In the style of an Agatha Christie novel, a family patriarch dies, and despite all clues pointing to suicide, a detective suspects a foul play. All of the family members and friends who are present at the residence are interrogated, and the audience is asked to guess what happened.

 

Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) has a peculiar gag reflex: she vomits every time she lies. Her morality is embedded in her DNA. As a result, it’s understandable that she’d choose a serious and honorable profession like nursing. She looks after Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), an 85-year-old murder-mystery novelist of great acclaim and money, and an extremely warm, grandfatherly bond develops as a result of her kind heart. Every night before she gives him his medications, they play the board game Go. It’s a lovely, respectful relationship.

 

However, Harlan Thrombey is dead when Knives Out begins. Suicide. The carotid artery was slashed with a knife. Marta was the last person to see him alive before he died. In Thrombey’s mansion, police detectives Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) and Wagner (Noah Segan) are on the case. The plot that follows isn’t exactly light. It’s suffocatingly thick. Troublesome. It’s also vexing. It’s quite perplexing.

 

At the end of the first act, the film begins to pick up the pace, and it never lets up. The narrative is intricate, and the reveal is complex, making this a perfect example of a film that should be viewed twice.

 

Knives Out is a brilliantly funny thriller that challenges everything you think you know and twists your own expectations on their head.

 

Johnson takes use of a cast with comedic, dramatic, and suspense capabilities, and he makes the most of each actor’s abilities. This film was a lot of fun and should be seen by everyone, from the most passionate film critic to the most casual moviegoer.