Murder mysteries are the kissing cousins of horror flicks. KNIVES OUT is particularly horror adjacent thanks to the presence of eternal horror queen JAMIE LEE CURTIS and the always game for terror dipping TONI COLETTE. If that's not enough to pique your interest, this baby delivers a majestic mansion, autumnal atmosphere, a couple of corpses and even a random spider crawling on someone's face. Whoever thought of releasing this splendid whodunit right in time for the Thanksgiving holiday is my new best friend. I'm currently planning on watching it every year on Turkey Day because even though it offers zero in the cranberry sauce department, it features family members squabbling, dead leaves cascading about and the warmest looking sweaters. Better still for my holiday needs is its presentation of Linus Van Pelt-level sincerity ultimately foiling unfettered greed and privilege.
Unfortunately for this post though, this is the type of movie I think you should see knowing as little as possible about. I guess the basic set up is fair game so here it is: A wealthy mystery writer is found dead after a birthday party attended by his family. At first it looks like a suicide but of course, it isn't and everyone who attended said party becomes a suspect. There. That's all I'm going to say except (no spoilers); KNIVES OUT cuts with perfect precision and it's one of those rare movies that keeps getting better and better as you watch it, every single turn of the screw makes the overall puzzle richer and more satisfying. I have my fingers crossed that DANIEL CRAIG's southern sleuthing character Benoit Blanc appears in more movies than James Bond. Actually, the entire cast is stellar from the impressive newbies to the long-familiar folks showing off sides you've rarely seen.
I really don't have much more to add than do yourself a favor and go see KNIVES OUT. Perhaps the strangest aspect of my experience with this movie is that I thoroughly enjoyed watching it in a packed movie theater. This is very unusual for me! I usually like to see movies as alone as I can possibly be but for some reason this movie made me feel a communal connection toward my fellow audience members who seemed to be having as much fun with it as myself. It actually cured me of my ever-expanding misanthropy for at least its full runtime! Nope, I wouldn't change a hair on its lovely head. It's wickedly clever, truly suspenseful at times and it says so much without loudly grinding an axe. KNIVES OUT is so satisfying it left me feeling like I'd just finished a masterful meal (and I'm looking forward to the day when I can watch it back-to-back with 2019's other CLUE-esque twisted family gathering READY OR NOT).
I loved every minute of this movie, and I was really hoping you'd review it on the site (despite it not falling squarely in the "horror" category)! What a fun story, and an amazing cast! I'm also hoping Craig's detective Blanc gets a string of sequels. I'd love to see them bring back Ana de Armas as well; she was wonderful. Here's hoping!
LiviaB,
Yes! If Marta (Ana de Armas) returned as a protege/Watson to Blanc's Holmes I'd be ecstatic. They'd make great team! I'd follow them anywhere. Such a great movie and there didn't seem to be a moment wasted, it's so precision perfect in my book. Probably me favorite movie going experience of the year.
When I saw it I knew that it had you ALL OVER IT. In the beginning of the film they show close ups of details of the house–I think they showed a creepy cuckoo clock or something. And I was like "This exact still will end up on Kindertrauma." Loved it.
Ben S, You know me well! I want to live inside this movie!