Knives Out: Quite Possibly The Most Entertaining Movie Of 2019
Let me say this: we have hit a great part of the year. Almost every big release is a fucking awesome movie, which leads me to say that ‘Knives Out’ rules so hard. Let us tell you why…
When a crime novelist dies just after his 85th birthday, an inquisitive detective arrives at his estate to investigate. He soon sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind the writer’s untimely demise. (via Google)
Jeff D Lowe (94/100): Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’, a modern-day twist on the “Whodunnit?” genre, is one of the best and most entertaining movies of the year. Pulling together such a complex story and massive cast, with tons of big names, is no easy task, but this movie delivers on every level of suspense, humor and more. It’s rare to get such a crowd-pleasing product that brings the quality of a top-tier release.
Because the movie is wrapped around so much mystery, I’ll go without giving away too many details, but the unique spin Rian Johnson puts on the genre is why it works so well. The clues for the mystery are buried within the lively script and the beautiful way the movie is framed and shot. ‘Knives Out’ will have your head spinning as you question things and try to put the pieces together, but it never compromises the humor and personality that makes it so enjoyable.
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Everyone in this absolutely star-studded movie plays a meaningful role in the story. Even characters with fewer lines or scenes are presented in an impactful way when they pop up within the story. A recent “Whodunnit?” that struggled with this idea was ‘Murder On the Orient Express’. The massive ensemble cast felt uneven and some characters felt bland and ham-fisted into the story and plot. Not with ‘Knives Out’, not one actor or actress was wasted within Rian Johnson’s movie and it boosted it all to another level.
Once again, because of spoilers, I will avoid giving too much away when going through the cast, so, instead, I will focus on Daniel Craig. Just like in ‘Logan Lucky’, Daniel Craig takes a role where he has a southern accent and absolutely crushes it. His charisma and chemistry with each and every character string the movie together perfectly. Without going into too many details, a few of the other big-time standouts include Ana De Armas, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette and Don Johnson (the Don Johnsonessaince is here, folks). Look, let’s be honest, everyone was fucking outstanding.
BIG EMPHASIS: This movie really is funny as hell and one of the best comedies of the year…
‘Knives Out’ is a movie you should run to the theater and see. There’s a strong chance this movie lands a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. I can’t say enough good things about what Rian Johnson has done here. ‘Knives Out’ is a witty, smart, funny, amazing to look at and absolute sure-fire must-see movie.
KenJac (93/100): ‘Knives Out’ is just as advertised: A unique whodunnit fit for a modern audience. You will find it beautifully scripted, well-acted and basically the perfect fall weather movie. Hell, I’m not even particularly a murder-mystery fan. This movie, though, gives me a hankering to blow the dust off my old CLUE board that I never owned and give it a whirl.
As far as performances go, Ana de Armas takes the center stage. Most of the movie is told through her eyes, which is not something I assumed based on the trailers. This was a welcome surprise, though, as she is a world-class actress and played the naive and goodhearted observer extremely well. The other performance I really want to highlight is Daniel Craig, who plays the old-school sleuth, Benoit Blanc. He totally steals the show whenever he is on screen, and between this and ‘Logan Lucky’, I don’t think I would hate if Craig only played southerners from now on. There are no bad performances from the rest of the family members, but Toni Collette and Chris Evans probably stand out the most for me. Collette’s valley girl accent had me rolling, and Evans was deliciously evil in a way where I couldn’t help but root for him.
Rian Johnson has taken some well-documented heat from both trolls and general Star Wars fans who did not like ‘The Last Jedi’. This movie was a big reminder that he can throw together a fantastic film and get great performances from actors/actresses that are outside of their comfort zone. Like I mentioned before, this is the perfect fall movie and the set design is meticulously crafted to help emphasize this point. Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yedlin do a fantastic job framing a ton of intricate shots, including one of my favorites where Ana de Armas is accosted by the family and the shot changes from a dolly to a handheld. I loved the pacing and found it worked perfectly to keep the audience on our toes and unable to make a concrete determination.
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The movie is Officially Buttered and one of the highest-rated movies we’ve watched this year. We did an in-depth review of the movie on Lights Camera Barstool and ranked our Top 5 Favorite Martin Scorsese movies, as well. Make sure to rate all 2019 and 2018 movies in the links below.
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