‘Knives Out‘ uses the ‘whodunit’ formula that enjoyed great success about half a century ago: complex police intrigues based on novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie or in the style of the British masters of the detective genre, stories that usually take place in a confined space (even if sometimes this space is moving – trains or cruise ships for example), having as main heroes super-intelligent detectives, also armed with a mandatory sense of humor. These films usually gathered remarkable distributions with screen celebrities happy to recite the lines of the suspects in the crimes, because another rule of the genre makes a suspect from almost all the characters. The genre has been abandoned for several decades, but was recently resurrected by Kenneth Branagh and now by Rian Johnson. ‘Knives Out‘ was released in the US on Thanksgiving 2019, was in theaters during the holiday season between 2019 and 2020, and is now one of the stars of home streaming or VOD viewing. I had planned to watch it in the theaters, but I kept postponing, giving priority to Oscar-nominated films … and then the world stopped. I watched it now in my living room at home, and I think that it suits well the need of escapist entertainment in the days of Corona.
The story and characters fit quite well into the patterns defined almost a century ago by Agatha Christie’s novels, although the story is set somewhere in the nowadays US. The highly successful detective novelist (played by Christopher Plummer) who does not survive the night after his 85th birthday could be a male version of the British novelist. Is his death a suicide or a murder? Around him gathers a family of nullities, typical for the American new riches class, all of them potential suspects with enough reasons to kill, and a naive and devoted nurse (Ana de Armas) who seems so innocent that we can bet she will quickly become the main suspect. The cast also includes some well-known names and figures, the most notable of all being Jamie Lee Curtis. Of course, the lion’s slice (or role) belongs to Daniel Craig, who simulates a ridiculous accent, criticized by many who forget that the immortal Poirot spoke with an accent at least as ridiculous. There is also a social message in the film, more than insinuated by the crisp social differentiation of the American bourgeois class from the class of immigrant servants – a message discreetly dosed, a bit schematic and a bit demonstrative, but without upsetting it is also carried in a satirical envelope.
The plot is confusing enough that in the end not all the details are completely elucidated. No problem, I’m sure Detective Benoit Blanc figured it all out. ‘Knives Out‘ has enough spirited dialogues and other humorous details that make it an escapist entertainment just as the times require. I don’t want to forget to mention the sets that seemed very well designed, with a voluptuousness of the agglomeration of objects, some of which will also play a role in the plot. Rian Johnson came to this film after directing the penultimate episode of ‘Star Wars’. Daniel Craig is wrapping up his part in the endless series of James Bond movies. Both came to ‘Knives Out‘ with the visible intention of relaxing and making something different, but without leaving the space of the crowd pleasers. They both seem to have had a great time making this movie. Now the only question is whether what we saw is the first series in the adventures of Detective Benoit Blanc, the future film series starring Daniel Craig.