My expectations for Knives Out was for a fresh take on the crime thriller genre, and I was pleasantly surprised. Knives Out was a comedy with mystery elements that accentuated the brilliant cast. Every scene had comedic value with a few missed jokes. Generally, the jokes in the film had sophistication and a clever setup that played off of the film’s CLUE themes. The plot in the beginning of the movie revolved around the murder of the illustrious Harlan, the author of many bestselling mystery novels, on his eighty-fifth birthday and the hiring of a world renowned detective by a mysterious benefactor as a result. For the first quarter of the movie, we see the party and questioning process where we meet Benoit Blanc, the cunning detective with an inane southern accent that wears on the senses of the audience for the entire movie. One of the few negatives in the movie is Blanc’s offensive, fake southern accent. When I first heard Daniel Craig’s attempt at a southern accent, I thought the character was supposed to be faking it, but no, he continued to talk the same way for the entire movie. Ignoring accents, the first half hour was mostly the questioning phase where we see each member of the family and the personalities that they possess. All of the family members have distinct and easily identifiable stereotypes. After the family is questioned and the police are ready to label the death a homicide, Blanc takes note of a woman eavesdropping on him. This woman is Marta, a nurse that helped administer Harlan’s medicine. The rest of the movie focuses on Marta, the only one who truly knows the truth behind Harlan’s death. I heavily suggest that you go see the movie on your own, and that’s why I’m stopping the review here to prevent spoiling too much of the movie. This was one of my most liked movies of the year and it’s great for the whole family.
