Many of the “travel memories” I have from my childhood revolve around trying to find ways to entertain myself on long car rides. We didn’t fly anywhere (in that era, people just didn’t seem to take plane trips like they do today).
I recall doing a fictitious radio show in the car where I called myself “Rocky Hockey the Disc Jockey” — I’d have news announcements, make up radio ads, sing all the music, and basically irritate my family members.
When I wasn’t practicing for a future podcasting career, my mom would often read a book out loud to help us pass the time. A number of the novels chosen were Agatha Christie mysteries.
Those trips planted in me a love of mysteries. I started reading “The Hardy Boys” books when I was in second grade. The first one I read was “The Secret of the Old Mill.” I loved the cover art on those blue-spined hardcovers, and had a sizable collection (my favorite at the time was “The Mysterious Caravan”).
It’s nice to see today’s filmmakers rediscovering the joy of old school mysteries. I loved Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 version of “Murder on the Orient Express” (which, for some odd reason, I never reviewed on this blog).
Note: If you haven’t seen Branagh’s 1991 mystery movie “Dead Again,” it’s also worth your time.
Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunnit “Knives Out” is a wholly original tale that captures the essence of murder mysteries from the likes of Agatha Christie — and infuses the story with a modern sensibility.
I missed seeing “Knives Out” when it was in theaters, so Bridget picked up the Blu-ray for me a couple weeks ago.
I just want to say that I found this film fascinating, and have watched it three times since.
“Knives Out” finds bestselling mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) celebrating his 85th birthday at his gothic-revival mansion in Massachusetts with his family in attendance.
The morning after the festivities, Thrombey is found dead on a daybed in his attic study — dried blood running from his slit throat to the floor; a dagger resting adjacent.
Local police — Detective Lieutenant Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) — question the family and staff about Harlan's death.
Sitting quietly in the room behind the investigators is private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).
Blanc was hired in a shroud of mystery to investigate the murder of Harlan Thrombey (an envelope of cash showed up at his apartment with a news clipping of Thrombey’s death).
At the center of everything is kind-hearted Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) — Harlan’s nurse/caretaker who can’t tell a lie without vomiting, or as Blanc describes her condition “a regurgitative reaction to mistruthin’.”
The Thrombey clan includes an all-star cast played by the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis (Harlan’s daughter, Linda), Don Johnson (Linda’s husband, Richard), Toni Collette (Harlan’s daughter-in-law, Joni), Michael Shannon (Harlan’s son, Walt), and Chris Evans (Linda and Richard’s son, Ransom).
Most of the narrative takes place at Harlan Thrombey’s sprawling estate. The brick mansion is decorated with an eclectic mix of statuary, oil paintings, oriental rugs, patterned wallpaper, and furniture spanning the decades. There are all sorts of nooks, crannies, and secret passageways that accent the peculiar mansion.
“I mean, the guy practically lives in a Clue board,” quips Detective Lieutenant Elliot about Thrombey’s home.
The whole movie feels like a game of Clue, but Johnson’s script turns the formula on its head. What seems obvious at first soon reveals a mystery with multiple layers.
“Strange case from the start,” muses Benoit Blanc. “A case with a hole in the middle. A doughnut.”
I’m a fan of writer/director Rian Johnson’s work. Some “Star Wars” fans were critical of his entry in the Skywalker Saga — “Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi” — but I really enjoyed it. I praised that movie in the 2017 blog post “‘The Last Jedi’ Might Be The Greatest ‘Star Wars’ Film.”
Johnson’s plotting skills are on full display in “Knives Out.” He’d apparently been working on the concept for a decade when he decided to make this film his followup to “The Last Jedi.”
I want to address the “Kentucky Fried Drawl” Daniel Craig uses in this movie. When I first saw the trailers for “Knives Out,” I thought the accent would be super distracting.
After all, mass movie-goers have gotten used to Craig’s British accent during his tenure in the James Bond franchise (among other films the past 15 years).
I had flashbacks to the time Kevin Costner thought it’d be wise to try a British accent in 1991’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”
Would a different accent work for Craig? Or would he sound like a poorly drawn character from a John Grisham novel?
Oddly enough, I didn’t mind Craig’s southern accent. He did a decent job with it, and stayed consistent throughout the movie.
The fact is that his character is over-the-top — just like the rest of the players. This is a quirky and eclectic cast, and Johnson’s script strikes a nice balance between comedy and suspense.
I’d also like to give a nod to actress Ana de Armas. She’s a relative unknown, but has appeared in recent movies like 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” (read my review).
She has to carry a lot of the film’s narrative, and does a good job crafting her character. Benoit Blanc refers to Marta as having “a kind heart.” In that spirit, de Armas strikes the right balance of vulnerability and altruism.
Something I appreciated in “Knives Out” was Johnson’s attention to detail.
I talked earlier about the mansion featured in the film. There are so many terrific nuggets strewn throughout the set decoration.
I always enjoy seeing mocked up novels for fictitious authors in films. We see a number of Harlan Thrombey’s mysteries in the mansion (books with titles like “The Needle Game” and “This Little Piggy”).
His favorite coffee mug has the words "My House. My Rules. My Coffee.” printed on it. While that detail might seem innocuous, it provides relevant information about the character in a brief shot.
The score — which reminded me at times of the music on PBS’s classic “Mystery” intro — was composed by Nathan Johnson (Rian Johnson’s cousin).
In addition, Christian artist Larry Norman’s song “Righteous Rocker” can be heard during the restaurant scene in the movie. Being a fan of Christian music, I owned some of Norman’s recordings (he was an eclectic artist who came on the scene in the 1970s) and I thought it was neat to see the song in the movie.
Overall, I had a great time watching “Knives Out.”
It’s nice to see original movies succeed that aren’t part of today’s bombastic, special-effects-laden franchises.
A sequel to “Knives Out” (a brand-new mystery featuring Benoit Blanc) has been greenlit by Lionsgate.
That’s a good thing. I’ll be fascinated to see what sort of tangled mystery Johnson crafts for the intrepid detective to solve.
As Detective Lieutenant Elliot suggests, “When the great Benoit Blanc comes knocking at my door, I expect it’s going to be about something, if not extraordinary, then at least interesting.”
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