Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer, Katherine Langford, Haeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz, K Callan, Noah Segan, M Emmet Walsh, Marlene Forte, Raul Castillo, Shyrley Rodriguez, Kerry Frances, Gary Tanguay, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Paul Bellafeuille, Ben Bunnag, Michael Burnell, Frankie Francois.
There is always room for the whodunnit genre to bring forth a new detective to the public’s attention; and in a world that salutes the genius of Agatha Christie’s creations and the drama brought forward in the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Benoit Blanc might just be the next detective in which to place faith in.
The knives have been sharpened for detective fiction, science has taken over the art of deduction, everything now is deduced in the lab, leaving no room for the brain and the mastery of solving a case without the use of instruments and test tubes. Yet somehow, the detective endures, and it is to the armchair sleuth that this is possible.
Knives Out owes much to the work and unwritten rules laid down by Agatha Christie, the reversal of fortune, the conspiracy that Death allows to be played out, that murder happily dances with and in which the greedy always find that they are left with nothing to show for their pains; it is a homage to a master that makes the film stand out with charm, intrigue and devilish intent.
In a film littered with modern heavyweight performers all staking their claim for control of the various scenes, it is to Ana de Armas in which the film revolves sensationally around. An actor of such depth surrounded by artists such as Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon and Christopher Plummer might find their worth falsely elevated in this kind of situation, this thankfully is not the case as Ms. De Armas plays with complex misunderstanding and fear of guilt with impressive ease.
What makes the film an instant delight for the cinema goer is the way that the crime is introduced, they know that the innocent has their own secret which makes them a victim of society, they understand early on that all is not the way the police believe and yet, like all good crime investigations, that there is still the explanation of why in which to bewitch the senses.
The true revelation is never in the revel of the murderer, it is in the question of the why, and as the film progresses, the sharp turns, punctuated by the divine sense of delivery of the script and the various voices stretching the truth, that why is important, it positively significant.
Knives Out is a piece of tremendous piece of detective fiction, is sharp, humerous cutting and full of critical insight; an exhibition of great writing portrayed on screen by a cast deeply immersed in their effort.
Ian D. Hall