Knives Out || An Excellent Film To Watch In These Times

Knives Out || Movie Review

At least one of your favorite actors is in this film.

Knives Out is a murder mystery, basically, who did it kind of film directed by Rian Johnson starring heavy hitters such as Danial Craig, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Christopher Plummer, as well as rising talents like Lakeith Stanfield, Ana de Armas, and Catherine Langford.

I don't remember the last time I watched a feel-good movie, maybe it was a rewatch of LoTR in 2017 but after that nothing of sorts nor do I remember watching a 'who did it?' kind of movie, maybe it was Altered Carbon in 2018.

Knives Out was on my watchlist since it came out and today I finally watched it and so here's my review of Knives Out.

What I liked?

• The Plot & The Direction

All of them are lying.

Harlen Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is a super-rich crime novelist and on the night after his 85th birthday is killed.  All of the family members were present for his birthday celebration. Everyone is lying and hiding something. Now, famous Detective Blanc (Danial Craig) and police officers try to figure out who did it while the family members, instead of mourning over the death of this patriarch are busy fighting over who will inherit his will. 

Has he gained weight?

While other movies and shows of this genre tend to show everything at the end of their stories, here all the cards are put on the table and revealed at the beginning of the film. The plot is so simple and yet so much intricate that we keep scratching our head from time to time. Normally, we know much more than the detectives in this sort of story but here the Detective knows as much as us and that makes it more fun to watch. There is not a single thing predictable in this movie but you can try figuring and trying tying all the dots that are given to you while watching the movie. 

The movie perfectly balances itself by being funny where it needs to and by being serious where it needs to. There are a few scenes where I was laughing out loud and there were scenes where I was on the edge of my seat figuring out the small donut that fits in the big donut the plot is.

Even after laying it all out the movie is full of unpredictable events and that's because it's a very well written and well-directed movie.

What is the meaning of family?

The movie makes you question about family and relationships indirectly and what it really means to be a family to someone. There is this beautiful exchange between Danial Craig and an old woman which was one of the best scenes in this movie. *warmth*

The premise of the movie may feel violent but the movie itself is violence-free. This is a very cheery, joyful and at times very emotional film. It's a movie that everyone should watch with their family. That's where the feel-good factor really lies. 

The pace of the movie is perfect, never feeling tiresome or fast.

• The Acting

The Thrombeys

As I said earlier, this movie is full of talented actors and not a single actor is bad in this movie. Everyone has given a decent performance while Danial Craig and Ana de Armas destroyed the screen with their acting. They gave a superb performance here.

We will be seeing this duo again in the next Bond film.

Danial Craig's Blanc feels like a very serious character at first but as the movie progresses and we spend more time with his character we get to see the funnier side of his character. He makes us smile and he makes us all teary at the same time.

The movie is pretty laid back due to the acting and the tone of the movie remains very light throughout. 

• The Cinematography

Most of the movie is shot in the Thrombey mansion and the cinematography makes the insides of the house feel grand. The scenes shot outside are good too. The movie has a kind of vintage feel to it which helps to make it feel more 'who did it type'.

What I Didn't Like?

There is nothing that I found unnecessary or problematic here even if I try to be nitpicky. The movie is excellent on each front.

Final Verdict

I loved Knives Out. It works very well as a murder mystery movie and for me, it is a feel-good movie as well. It can be enjoyed with family and right now, in all the stuff that is going on, we do need to watch feel-good movies with our families to be happy.