Knives Out Defies Stereotype, Embraces Trope [REVIEW]

Knives Out, a Lionsgate film directed by Rian Johnson

With its incredibly star-stacked cast, scowling down at you from their poster on the wall, with the dramatic ads of feudal drama and elements of tragedy. With the menacing title Knives Out, this theatrical production by Rian Johnson has embraced stereotype and defied trope. A film that was originally plotted to be produced almost a decade ago was pocketed and developed into the well-polished and topical movie that has led to critical acclaim and grossing over $72 million worldwide since its release. This Clue reminiscent, whodunit genre film has been majorly lacking in favor of more action or thrill-packed mysteries as of late. Brevity, plot, and dramatic irony make Knives Out a great movie to see over the holidays. Bring a date, the whole family, or maybe take yourself if you don’t want to hear your companion(s) gasping at each twist (there are enough where it will absolutely get annoying).

Similar to The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which was a film that took audiences by surprise at the inventive plot and clever quips from surprising leading actors. Knives Out is a movie that stays true to its genre, while imbuing a nice fresh splash of uncharacteristic humor and accessibility into its script.

Knives Out isn’t as serious as the marketing material, cast, and some of the more topical one-liners could lead you to believe. It’s easy to see a leading cast made of actors who have made their money in films fraught with peril and danger and assume that this movie would be much in their wheelhouse. Turns out, none of these actors are one-trick ponies like their box office highlights could suggest. Daniel Craig, popular in his long-running role as James Bond, plays a more legally viable legal role as Detective Blanc. Other than that similarity, much of the cast is in shoes that wouldn’t normally fit.

Without giving too much away about who does what as that is key in this murder-mystery. Each actor fills their new shoes so well that by the end of the movie you’ll have practically forgotten it’s Captain America (Chris Evans) galivanting around in a well-worn cozy sweater the internet is already ablaze for.

Ana de Armas is the real star of the movie though. Tested at every turn, her performance catches one unaware at the beginning and then has the audience locked on to her every move as the web of murder suspects gets smaller and smaller under Detective Blanc’s (Craig) inspection.

The director, Rian Johnson, spoke to the Atlantic and in an interview admitted that the meddling with a classic plot as in Knives Out is somewhat his trademark skill. Polished through films like Brick, Looper, and The Last Jedi, Knives Out feels like a culmination of passion. This isn’t the end for Johnson, however, as he is toying with the idea of sequels following the surprisingly buddy-buddy miracle Detective Blanc.

it would be impossible to talk about Knives Out without mentioning Agatha Christie. Quite likely the origin of modern mystery that isn’t Sherlock Holmes or high-octane action, Christie instead inspired more period pertinent pieces. Recently, Murder on the Orient Express received another reboot that kept the Christie trope of an overly appropriate and aggressively accented investigator in elegant trappings saving the day and exposing the hidden evil. Knives Out does its best to grow out of those early 20^th century fancies. The inappropriately large and dated mansion inhabited by wealthy socialites do however remain, but we all know that the nooks and crannies (and secret passages) of an old house cannot be beat for a murder mystery. Beyond that, the modern world is extremely present and allows for several twists and turns that Christie could never have dreamt of.

Despite the presence of false conclusions and more than enough head-scratching twists, Knives Out isn’t traditionally exciting. Per scene, there are fewer car chases, explosions, assaults, and attacks or fistfights than many of the other movies that could be compared. I’m looking at you, Sherlock Holmes, the 2011 Guy Ritchie flashy action film masquerading as a mystery movie.

Knives Out uses clever Clue–esque interviews and comedy to keep the audience captivated. Just when Johnson might have lost viewers, the second act begins, and as the mystery peaks, your attention will pique as well with a smattering of physical action and fast-paced revelations.

The cinematography was understated, but not to say that it was bad. Shot wide frame in order to let the audience look for clues, and then narrow on interviews the camera stayed out of the way of the plot. For a movie that doesn’t rely much on visual gimmicks, there are a few but very notable moments of cinematography that remind the viewer to pay extra attention to what’s going on. Notably, the Game of Thrones sword throne, knife display arrests the eye and is a notable visual device for many plot developments.

If anything was lacking, it was some of the one-liners or their ambiguity. There were just enough of them that it could leave one wondering where the movie lies in today’s political landscape. With de Armas playing the daughter of an undocumented immigrant, a Nazi-ish teen, and a deck of primarily rich white characters all with their own socially unaware biases the movie dances on the line of presenting an opinion. Then it doesn’t.

If one had to guess, it’s clear where the writer’s and director’s sympathies lie. The inclusion of those divisive jokes seems slightly manipulative of today’s culture. Each joke, characterization, and plot device was used to maximize how the audience felt about a character – hiding or revealing what Johnson wanted people to see. There just may have been more room for those ideas to be more poignant, to offer a more lasting take away other than as jokes and character development.

Overall, Johnson has made a movie so cleverly plotted that writing about it without revealing too much delicate nuance so necessary to the story is challenging. What isn’t challenging is seeing Knives Out, a delightfully refreshed film from a tried and true origin.

Main Cast:

• Daniel Craig
• Chris Evans
• Ana de Armas
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Michael Shannon
• Don Johnson
• Toni Collette
• Lakeith Stanfield
• Katherine Langford
• Jaeden Martell
• Christopher Plummer

2 hours, 10 minutes