Knives Out (2019)

“Knives Out” is a fast-paced, contemporary spin on the classic Whodunit? genre, housing amazing performances, expert direction and sparky dialogue. Even if you hated Rian Johnson’s previous movie, I urge you to see “Knives Out.”

Every cast member did a wonderful job here, the highlights being Daniel Craig as the eccentric police consultant (featuring an incredible southern drawl), Chris Evans, who’s clearly relishing playing against type, and Ana de Armas, who brilliantly played the protagonist of the story.

The script effectively plays with the audience’s expectations, managing to be both overt and unexpected with its storytelling. Even if the identity of the murderer is blindingly obvious from the get-go, there are enough twists and turns scattered throughout that you’ll still be surprised. Whilst Johnson’s love of subverting your expectations proved polarizing in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, his style is perfectly suited to this genre.

The film is extremely visually exciting; the set design is clearly inspired by the 1970s film “Sleuth” (which I’d highly recommend checking out), the cinematography is panoramic and the costume design is inspired (this is probably the most jumper-heavy film since the “Harry Potter” movies!)

In conclusion, “Knives Out” is excellent. It’s a hugely enjoyable and thrilling experience that remains engaging from the opening frame to the final scene. I really hope that we see the return of Benoit Blanc in another film at some point in the near future.