This week our recommended film that we’ll be discussing is Knives Out. As it was the one-year anniversary of its release now seems as good a time as any to look back at the movie. I have to admit that I was a bit late in getting around to watching this after its initially good feedback after its release last year. My putting off of watching was probably due to the quite plain concept of the film. The plot is basically a big whodunnit, Cluedo-esque mystery that might not immediately sound ground-breaking. Despite the fairly banal premise of Knives Out, it turned out to be one of the best films released in the past few years.
The beauty of Knives Out lies in the details. Every line of script is brilliantly crafted, and every performance is so convincing that you often forget how star-studded the cast is. With huge names such as Daniel Craig and Chris Evans, as well as talented actors such as Ana de Armas, Michael Shannon and Jamie Lee Curtis all delivering amazing performances, praise should be given to the casting team behind the film because it is spot on. As well as the casting, the amazing look of the film, as well as the amazing dialogues can be attributed to Rian Johnnson.
Getting back to the story of the movie, the titular event in the movie occurs relatively near the start, after an old and wealthy fictional novelist dies. The death causes his family of unlikable narcissists to swarm around his mansion trying to get their piece of his vast estate. To try and solve the mystery surrounding the death and the will of the writer a private investigator is brought in. This maverick detective is played by Daniel Craig and this is the standout performance in an already great movie. Craig inexplicably has a Louisiana accent and pulls it off to perfection.
Part of the issue of writing about this movie is that the plot does not sound particularly gripping. Describing a very ordinary story of a family arguing over a will should not be entertaining. However, in Knives Out the story unfolds in such a captivating way that all of the twists and turn are genuinely shocking. This is no straight forward game of Cluedo; everything is not as it seems, and the depth of the storytelling is what really sets this film apart. We highly recommend watching Knives Out as soon as possible, you will not regret it!
Words by Ewan Blacklaw
inertia 