Knives Out

Ten Second Review: Amusing, intriguing and continuously enjoyable, Knives Out is certainly a breath of fresh air in the murder mystery genre.

It’s always hard to talk about a film in the murder mystery genre without automatically spoiling it. If you allude to twist and turns or second guessing then you alert the reader that they should disregard initial feelings or theories and predict something darker or more convoluted. Knives Out is certainly the type of film that you’d have to tread on egg shells to not ruin for future watchers. 

Harlan Thromby is a world rebound mystery writer. His books have sold tens of millions of copies and his writing has left a legacy in its wake. When he’s found dead, seemingly a suicide, his family is shocked but someone’s not so sure it was a suicide. If everyone has their reasons to do it, but their alibis are airtight, it’s will take a master sleuth to solve this case. Enter Benoit Blanc...

Doing my best not to spoil anything, this film is very fun. I’d say it’s much closer to what the recent Murder on the Orient Express film was trying to be rather than what it ended up being. It’s was quick witted, well paced and a fresh take on the murder  mystery story that still paid its dues to the classics. 

The list of what not to enjoy is actually rather short but does make its mark in the overall film. The first is the accent that Daniel Craig went for. If I’d known going in then perhaps it wouldn’t have been quite as jarring but as it stood I was rather taken a back. I love that he leaned in to the campy aesthetic of the film with an indulgent accent but it did feel a touch left of centre.

The other thing would be a spoiler to state exactly but can be surmised by saying that mistakes happen, not everyone needs to be perfect at all times. A character making a mistake does not make them less sympathetic, often to the contrary. A flawed character would be better and more likeable than a perfect character that you have to jump through hoops to keep pure.

I highly recommend Knives Out. It’s fun and original and certainly brings something new, yet referential and respectful, to the whodunnit genre. Whether it gains enough from the big screen to warrant a cinema viewing is difficult to say but I think if it’s still around at Christmas it would fill the gooch week gap nicely.