KNIVES OUT

A classic game of cat and mouse, Knives Out is a brilliant movie that delves into the life and family of Harlan Thrombey, a renowned novelist who commits suicide on the night of his 85th birthday and leaves all his wealth to his nurse Marta Cabrera.

This looks like a closed case until Private Investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) shows up one week after Harlan’s death to investigate further, implying that a crime may have been committed.

As always, everyone is a suspect and everyone has something to hide.

Could it be his unfaithful son-in-law, Richard (Don Johnson) who doesn’t want his wife to find out about his infidelity? Or his sniveling son Walt (Michael Shannon) who constantly had disagreements with Harlan because he did not want his book turned into movies (which would have made Walt rich). Or his daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) whom he had just cut off her allowance for stealing from him, and finally his black sheep grandson Ransom (Chris Evans) who was seen storming off out of Harlan’s office on the night of his death.

Only Harlan’s nurse, Marta, who has a regurgitative condition which prevents her from lying, seemingly has nothing to gain from his death, or does she?

Daniel Craig plays the PI with a Southern accent and might I say, this is one of his best roles for me. He assumes the role with finesse and fluidity and basically puts all the pieces together. Helping with the investigation is Detective Lieutenant Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) who was more of a moral compass for Benoit Blanc.

Filled with an ensemble cast, this was one of the top 10 movies of 2019.

Harlan is played by the legendary Christopher Plummer, he had a very short time in the movie but did not cease to leave a mark. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Linda, his eldest daughter, Ana de Armas plays Marta (she stars alongside Daniel Craig in the upcoming Bond movie; No time to Die). Also, we see Chris Evans in his first major role after Avengers and he’s still got it.

I’ll give it 8 out of 10.