Knives Out (2019)

Who did it? That's the main question on everyone's mind in a mystery. Who did it? This trope of the mystery genre has almost faded from the public eye; now writer-director Rian Johnson brings it back. And it's done to near perfection in his latest film “Knives Out”. Featuring an all-star cast, the mystery aspect is the driving force behind this movie, while also delivering the perfect comedic moments. Still, there are some problems that the movie has, it more than makes up with its brilliant writing, attention to detail, and keeping the viewer invested all the way through. With “Knives Out”, we finally answer the question of who did it, with some pretty clever results.

The story has a detective (Daniel Craig) coming to the esteemed estate of a famous author (Christopher Plummer), only to find out that the author is dead. Now that the family is there, they want to know how their patriarch kicked the bucket. Through a series of investigations, the detective must try and finish up this puzzle to find out exactly just what is going on here.

With “Knives Out”, there are a lot of good qualities about the film that excel it into excellence.

For starters, the cast is great. It's an all-star cast that not only includes Craig and Plummer, but also Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, and Toni Collette. This film is basically a who's who of show business. And all of them turn out a great performance, especially Craig as a hard hitting private detective trying to put everything together.

The writing and directing by Johnson is also a major plus. Johnson's directing is top notch, staging everything to near perfection, and leaving the audience to question what's going to happen next with his writing. Speaking of the writing, the way all of the scenes are written, as well as the dialogue, it is one of the most interesting and original ideas that has been executed in recent years. Sure, it's a basic premise, but Johnson delivers it with a sort of finesse that hasn't been seen or heard before; it's an old-fashioned whodunit with great dialogue to boot.

Onto the technical aspects of the movie, “Knives Out” also excels here. The sound design and editing are top notch. The costumes fit each and every character perfectly. The sets look like something out of an old-fashioned mystery from Agatha Christie. The lighting is perfect, and the movements from everyone is perfectly blocked by, once again, Johnson's direction. “Knives Out” is a great looking film that will definitely please the eyes.

If there are any negative criticisms, it would be minor.

First, the editing is slow, but for something like this, it is required. At a little over two hours, it can test your patience, especially near the big climax, but you are truly invested in a great movie. Another minor complaint is the music by Nathan Johnson; to me, it just doesn't feel like a grand orchestra is there, and I wanted something more out of the score. Finally, some of the cast are kind of pushed over to the side, and really don't contribute a whole lot outside of exposition. But again, these are only minor complaints.

In conclusion, “Knives Out” is a great mystery, by also answering the question of who did it, in a unique an interesting way that will leave viewers wanting more.