★★★★☆
By Nicholas Ntaganda , contributor
When a truly thrilling genre picture comes along, a question often lingers in the mind of this critic when attempting to discuss its merits: is this film anything more than a wonderful piece of pulp? In some cases, the film in question is so delectable and ingeniously constructed that it hardly seems to matter. Knives Out, the latest effort by Rian Johnson, is such a film. That isn’t to say that the movie is only interested in its own genre trappings; racial and classist undertones abound and there seems to be a genuine interest in studying the entitlement and pseudo-liberalism that often plagues wealthy families. But even if such themes are ignored, Knives Out would still be one of the most pleasurable films in recent memory.
Knives Out is a murder mystery in the classic Agatha Christie style; a wealthy novelist (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his home and an eccentric P.I by the name of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) suspects he was murdered, despite the police’s conclusion that it’s an open-and-shut case of suicide. The novelist’s immediate family makes up the rest of the remarkable cast (which includes Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis and Chris Evans, to name a few), as well as the list of potential suspects, all of whom seem to have something to gain from his untimely death. What unfolds after this setup feels delightfully retro without ever appearing archaic in the pejorative sense; there is something deeply satisfying about the film’s old-fashioned embrace of genre conventions, while the movie’s politics and self-awareness keep it modern and fresh.
As expertly directed as Knives Out is, the film may actually work best as a showcase for Rian Johnson’s talents as a screenwriter. The sheer quantity of setups and payoffs, the intricacies of the plotting and the subversiveness of the structure, which allows the movie to go from a whodunnit, to a Hithcockian thriller and back again, are genuinely astounding. If there is one knock against the script however, it’s that the film’s final twists are a tad predictable, but thanks to the devotion of the ensemble to the movie’s wackier elements and the brio with which Johnson realizes the scenes, it still manages to feel exhilarating.
Rian Johnson is perhaps best known to audiences as the filmmaker behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which received an especially negative response from Star Wars purists who couldn’t stand to see so many conventions upended and subverted. However, Johnson has been making original films in rather esoteric genres for years now; from the noirish adolescent world of Brick, to the con artists of The Brothers Bloom and the existential blend of science fiction and crime thrillers in Looper. With three more Star Wars movies in the pipeline, one can only hope that Johnson will continue to have the chance to make the smart, witty and wildly enjoyable genre films he has always been interested in making, of which Knives Out seems to be the apotheosis thus far.
Nicholas Ntaganda is a second-year student who is working to complete a double major in Business Administration and Rhetoric and Media. A native Sudburian, his great passions include impromptu musical numbers, crying during the happy parts in movies and bad transatlantic accents. For a more comprehensive (and less refined) look at his movie-watching, click here.