{"id":10358,"date":"2019-09-29T17:56:35","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T00:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/?p=10358"},"modified":"2019-11-27T14:25:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T22:25:27","slug":"fantastic-fest-knives-out-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/knives-out-review\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Knives Out&#8217; Review: Three Reasons To See It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the case of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/knives-out\/285226\"><i>Knives Out<\/i><\/a>, 2019\u2019s dastardly delightful murder mystery, I can tell you \u201cwhodunnit\u201d &#8211; filmmaker\u00a0Rian Johnson. The \u201cit\u201d in question is leading viewers on a twisty, methodical deconstruction of perception filled with lies, betrayal, and good ol\u2019 fashioned detective sweat. With a cast including Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis and more, Johnson\u2019s gallery of rogues brings the utmost entertainment, more traditional and Sherlockian in mannerisms but with the comedic intentions of\u00a0Jonathan Lynn\u2019s\u00a0<i>Clue<\/i>\u00a0adaptation.<\/p>\n<p>The game is afoot, dear readers. Don\u2019t let this caper whiz on by like audiences once failed Craig&#8217;s\u00a0<i>Logan Lucky<\/i>\u00a0at the box office.<\/p>\n<p>When acclaimed author\u00a0Harlan Thrombey\u00a0(Christopher Plummer) is discovered by his housekeeper with a slit throat, blood puddle still fresh, his estate falls into panic. Authorities proclaim Harlan\u2019s death by his own hand, but when an unnamed source hires esteemed investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to sleuth further, an insinuation of foul play becomes apparent. Could son Walt (Michael Shannon), son-in-law Richard (Don Johnson), moocher daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette), or any other Thrombey commit such a crime in the name of inheritance? As the previous night\u2019s details emerge, it becomes more and more likely.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GznlaPeYhEM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Lionsgate will release\u00a0<i>Knives Out<\/i>\u00a0on November 27th. Until then, here are three pieces of evidence that prove, without reasonable doubt, Rian Johnson has indubitably crafted one hell of an intricate and deceptive mousetrap.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Benoit Blanc, The Legend<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.atomtickets.com\/image\/upload\/h_960,q_auto\/v1562087606\/ingestion-images-archive-prod\/archive\/1562087606400_285226_cops_6.jpg\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Daniel Craig punches up his \u201cJoe Bang\u201d bumpkin alchemist from\u00a0<i>Logan Lucky<\/i>\u00a0into a more sophisticated, composed analyst as Benoit Blanc. He\u2019s the\u00a0Hercule\u00a0Poirot for our volatile times, speaking of donut metaphors through the thickest Southern drawl Colonel Sanders could attempt. Benoit\u2019s introduction tells you everything you need to know, as Craig sits behind Lt. Elliot (LaKeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) while they interrogate Harlan\u2019s clan. Striking a piano key to wordlessly object to their stories, Blanc is a man whose cranial mechanics are always churning, which Craig emotes by staring at his subjects as he silently dissects them.<\/p>\n<p>Enter Harlan\u2019s personal nurse and confidant Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), who becomes the reluctant Watson to Blanc\u2019s chicken-fried Sherlock. Why? She vomits when even attempting to lie. I mention Marta here because Craig\u2019s performance is always best when interacting with his unexpected sidekick. Craig\u2019s chemistry with Armas becomes an effortless high point through their master and nauseated apprentice banter. Whether it be happenstance stumbling upon vital information or openings for Craig to launch into analogies and explanations Marta can understand, Benoit Blanc stands as some of Craig\u2019s best character work.<\/p>\n<h2>2. An Update On A Classic<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.atomtickets.com\/image\/upload\/h_960,q_auto\/v1\/ingestion-images-archive-prod\/gracenote\/assets\/1907573.jpg\" width=\"1354\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When you compare\u00a0<i>Knives Out<\/i>\u00a0against modern criminal procedurals, Johnson takes a chance on outdated genre storytelling. Investigative conundrums are easier to solve these days, given how technology has advanced from when famous private eyes only had their wits and trenchcoats.\u00a0<i>Knives Out<\/i>\u00a0gets back to basics via interrogations, \u201cseeing is believing,\u201d and the hiss of forked tongues. Benoit has 48-ish hours to prove that Harlan\u2019s death was, indeed, an act of murder, and he\u2019s only given broken pieces of wood and traces of mud as evidence. Not exactly\u00a0<i>CSI: Rich And Famous<\/i>, but that\u2019s where Johnson\u2019s storytelling shines.<\/p>\n<p>Every character hides a motive, including Walt\u2019s firing from Harlan\u2019s publishing company or whispers of adultery in other ears.\u00a0Chris Evans crashes the party, a.k.a. the reading of the will as scene-chewing grandson Ransom Drysdale, giving no hecks since he\u2019s recently been stricken from Harlan\u2019s inheritance. Even\u00a0Katherine Langford as Meg, Jodi\u2019s \u201csocial justice warrior\u201d daughter in need of tuition money, and Jaeden Martell, who plays Walt\u2019s alt-right \u201cNazi\u201d troll son, add to pot-stirring dramatics. Every character is laboriously defined &#8211; prime suspects &#8211; and the cast of professionals ensure no once can be labeled innocent, even if they didn&#8217;t kill Harlan.\u00a0It&#8217;s a tangled web Johnson weaves that he cleanly works out, all cat\u2019s cradle-like. Even more, it\u2019s deadly exciting. Sometimes an old dog doesn\u2019t need to learn new tricks.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Johnson\u2019s Knives Are Sharpened<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_10360\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10360\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10360\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/knives-out.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10360\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Thrombey family in &#8216;Knives Out&#8217;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Rian Johnson could have scripted a toothless piece of switcheroo content, but there\u2019s responsibility sewn into\u00a0<i>Knives Out<\/i>. As we learn about the Thrombey collective, selfishness and political outbursts start to define an interfamily battle that\u2019s purely about good winning out. In the case of Harlan\u2019s bombshell decision to leave his wealth and possessions to a surprise party, we\u2019re subjected to the Thrombeys&#8217; opinions about locking certain people out while demanding what\u2019s \u201crightfully&#8221; theirs. It&#8217;s rife with first-world complaints from a privileged family that blatantly calls out classism and relates back to a larger national discussion about certain social prejudices.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not one to say every film has a responsibility to be more than popcorn-worthy entertainment, but\u00a0<em>Knives Out<\/em>\u00a0is a brilliant dedication to both social commentary and delicious pawn manipulation. Johnson doesn\u2019t solely put a knife to Harlan\u2019s throat. He\u2019s placing vitriolic anger on trial and proves that times, they are a-changing, all while Daniel Craig plunges deeper into the dysfunctional hysteria that is the Thrombey bloodline. You\u2019ll burst out laughing and adore how Johnson\u2019s cast plays their cards with confidence, masks their bluffs, leading to an enjoyably validating \u201cA-hah!\u201d finale. <em>Knives Out<\/em> carries so many layers, the most important of which you\u2019ll never see coming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the case of\u00a0Knives Out, 2019\u2019s dastardly delightful murder mystery, I can tell you \u201cwhodunnit\u201d &#8211; filmmaker\u00a0Rian Johnson. The \u201cit\u201d in question is leading viewers on a twisty, methodical deconstruction of perception filled with lies, betrayal, and good ol\u2019 fashioned detective sweat. With a cast including Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis and more, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-10358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10358"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11017,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10358\/revisions\/11017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}