The essential elements to any whodunnit murder mystery is a clever detective, a colorful cast and a great script filled with plot twists.
"Knives Out" manages to have all these necessities, but it stands out from the rest with style, humor and political statements.
Mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead with a slashed throat the morning after he and his family celebrated his 85th birthday in his giant mansion filled with creepy vintage statues. Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) and Lieutenant Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) say authorities are calling the wealthy man's death a suicide, but celebrity detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is anonymously hired to investigate the case.
Through quick yet thorough interviews the audience learns about the whole family, and any of them could have killed their patriarch. Harlan's daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a successful businesswoman with an awful husband (Don Johnson) and an entitled son (Chris Evans). Harlan's son Walt (Michael Shannon) cares for his dad's publishing, but he wants to make movie adaptations out of his stories. And Joni (Toni Collette) is Harlan's daughter-in-law who desperately relies on his money to send her daughter (Katherine Langford) to college.
It's clear to see that this family uses Harlan for their own personal gain and inheritance, but the only one without a stake in the claim is Harlan's nurse Marta (Ana de Armas). She is considered "one of the family," but in a long-running joke, the Thrombeys can't get her nationality straight.
There are elements to this movie that are over-the-top. Marta's gross ability to vomit after telling a lie comes in handy, but is that really the only truth-telling method writers could think of? Blanc's southern drawl is also a bit much, but at least the movie does a good job with self-deprecating humor because one of the characters calls Blanc's case "CSI: KFC."
Knives Out (2019 Movie) Official Trailer — Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee CurtisYouTube
The politically-charged statements about immigration and Harlan's supposedly alt-right grandson (Jaeden Martell) also feel thrown in and left out for the rest of the film. But people certainly get the point on the Trump-like commentary.
If viewers think their family isn't perfect, wait until they see the Thrombey family. Each of these characters is as colorful as the next with hilarious lines like "this guy practically lives on a 'Clue' board" and "a will reading is like a community theatre production of a tax return." K Callan, who plays Harlan's elderly mother, is also one of the funniest parts of this movie with her silent appearances.
The only regret is that each of the characters don't have enough time to shine.
Director Rian Johnson ("Looper" and "Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi") has a wonderful vision that comes together with a lightning-fast pace. One of the best scenes is when Blanc flips a coin after asking Marta for her story. The scene flashes back to the night of Harlan's death from her point of view, then the story is transported back to the present as the coin falls in Blanc's hand.
Just when you think you've figured it out, the plot adds another layer to the case. Audience members might be angry with themselves for not figuring out the culprit sooner. So on that note, nothing else can be said without spoiling surprises.
"Knives Out" earns an 8/10. See it in theaters on Wednesday, November 27.
Follow Samantha on Twitter at @_SamI520.
