A murder mystery to nicely wrap up the decade

 On November 27, the mystery/thriller directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out, was released in theaters across America. Rated PG-13, the murder mystery movie got pleasantly positive reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.

The plot follows the turmoil of a family thrust into (further) disarray after the death of their wealthy, murder-mystery novel-writing father is discovered by his nurse, Marta, a young nursing student of whom he and the family are fond. The movie opens as a pair of detectives are interviewing each of the members of the family about their last moments in the vicinity of their father, Harlan Thromby, during his birthday party in his monumental countryside mansion—composed of all beautifully intricate sets that compliment Harlan’s eccentricities, by the way.

Knives Out stars Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thromby; Ana de Armas as Marta; Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale, Harlan’s eldest daughter; Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale, Linda’s husband; Chris Evans (aka Captain America) as Hugh Ransom Drysdale, their spoiled, playboy son; Michael Shannon as Walter Thromby, Harlan’s youngest son and CEO of their publishing company; Jaeden Lieberher (also known as Bill Denbrough from It) as Jacob Thromby, the (as a running-gag) alt-right son of Walter; Toni Collettte as Joni Thromby, the somewhat ditzy widowed wife of Harlan’s middle son; Katherine Langford as Meg Thromby, her daughter and liberal arts college student; and Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, a pompous, but well-meaning private detective hired to investigate Harlan’s death. Wow, that was a lot, but trust me, it’s worth it. All of these characters bring something interesting to the table. Their personalities and relationships with one another are so much fun to watch.

The movie was very entertaining, as all mysteries should be. The many twists and turns can be predictable, but in a fulfilling sort of way. The story is told in a way that is possible to follow, which is impressive considering the number of characters it has.

The comedy was top-notch in a way that I can appreciate the attempt, and laugh at the real funny bits. That’s a compliment to the writers and talented actors who can pull them off.

The thing about writing reviews about mysteries is that it’s hard to gush about the movie without giving anything away. So I will say this instead: the soundtrack was great, the set design was beautiful, and I enjoyed the story. I had a good time watching it, and I think that other people would also have a good time.

I give this movie a 9/10 for its wildly engaging plot, interesting characters and dynamics, and the incredibly satisfying ending; also, it needed more Jaden Lieberher. I would recommend this movie to anyone who fancies a fun, murder-mystery-comedy, which, I can confidently say, anyone does this time of year.

Sources:

• (2019, December 4). Knives Out (film). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knives_Out_(film).