Knives Out

Starring: Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, LaKeith Stanfield, Noah Segan, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer

Director: Rian Johnson

The Thrombey family have gotten together to celebrate the 85th birthday of their popular mystery novelist father Harlan (Christopher Plummer). The celebration turns to tragedy as Harlan is discovered the following morning to be dead in an apparent suicide. Lt. Elliot (LaKeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) have gathered the family together to corroborate stories before issuing an official verdict. Enter the mysterious and renowned Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who begins to suspect there is more going on, as hidden agendas and family secrets begin to emerge, causing him to lean on Harlan's nurse Marta (Ana de Armas) to uncover the truth. Could is be the son Walt (Michael Shannon), who ran Harlan's publishing house? Or the daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), whose husband Richard (Don Johnson) has some secrets of his own? Or could it be Ransom (Chris Evans), his grandson who has never had to work a day in his life who was last seen arguing with Harlan? Either way, one thing is clear: when the family gets together, the knives come out.

I have to be honest, I have been anticipating this movie for a long time. I love Agatha Christie, murder mysteries, and the films of Rian Johnson. I’m 100% convinced Rian Johnson wrote this film specifically for me, and I have to say the movie delivered on my lofty and almost unrealistic expectations!

To say any more about the plot than I already have would be an injustice to the film, and I actually haven't ruined anything that isn't in the trailers (I checked). This movie is a blast and has some genuinely surprising twists and turns, including a game changer about 30 minutes in that completely alters the film's trajectory.

This is a gorgeous film. The production design deserves a shout out, with the mansion being handsomely decorated with paintings and grotesque statues. With most of the action taking place there, the house becomes a character itself. It is wonderful to see a movie take such advantage of its setting.

Equal parts funny, meta, and socially relevant, everyone is at the top of their game in front of and behind the camera. I wasn't expecting how deviously humorous this movie is, and Rian Johnson's script is smartly layered with lots of detail and red herrings. I’ve seen the movie twice now and even knowing where it was going, I was caught up in the mystery and amazed at how well thought out and written the film is.

Daniel Craig is my dark horse in the Supporting Actor Oscar race, sporting a fantastic Southern drawl, his detective is just as confused by what is happening as many of the characters. It's a delightful spin on a film detective and it's fun to not only see him react to what is happening but how characters react to him as well. Depending on the success of this film, it would be fun to see where Benoit Blanc could go in future films. As great as Craig is, Ana de Armas steals the show. Audiences will most likely recognize her from Blade Runner 2049, but should keep an eye on any future project she is in. In such a star studded cast, she exudes charisma and her sympathetic lead performance more than carries the film. While these two performances stuck out for me, the rest of the cast is excellent and help keep the film engaging and most of all fun.

Fun. A word that maybe hasn't genuinely been said about a movie for a long time. Don't try to read spoilers before going to see this one. You'd ruin the fun for yourself.