MOVIE REVIEW: Knives Out
(Kashmir - Lorne Balfe)
...I have no idea about how to write an introduction to this review, except to show you its trailer and ask the million dollar question.
So...yeah. Here's the trailer for Knives Out:
I don't typically like murder mysteries. They have to bring something really special to the table in order for me to stay interested in them. Any child of the '70s or '80s will tell you that the classic Whodunit movie of our time is 'Clue'. This is known. It's so known, in fact, that 'Knives Out' references it almost immediately by name. That should tell you all you need to know about what this film aspires to be.
The problem with aspiring after 'Clue' is that 'Clue' had some significant issues, which is why it's generally referred to as a cult classic rather than a genuine smash hit. 'Knives Out' has some issues as well, and they stop it from being a really great movie and keep it one that's merely entertaining.
The problems with this film start with the cast. Oh, you'll go check that out on IMDB and think, "He's out of his mind. The cast looks phenomenal." I'll wait. Go look. Seriously, here's a link.
The problem with all of this excellence is that most of the case members are just so damn one-sided that it's hard to invest yourself in any part of the film. There are a few notable exceptions of course:
- Daniel Craig's turn as Benoit Blanc is face-slappingly hilarious. It's right up there with Johnny Depp's lunatic detective in 'Tusk'. Craig chews up every single scene he's in, and he's working for every single bite of it with that accent of his.
- Christopher Plummer is...well, it's Christopher Plummer. The man is a legend.
- Ana De Armas absolutely nails her role in this film. I'll say nothing more about that, except that she gets put in a variety of odd situations throughout the film and makes you believe every single one of them.
Then you have the other side of the coin.
- Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing, but she's just a cranky robot in this film. She has a ton of talent, and she's just utterly wasted here.
- Michael Shannon is...well, I hate Michael Shannon. Can somebody find me a movie with Shannon in it where he's a decent, likable guy please? This isn't made better by the fact that the film does exactly the thing with him that you expect it to, so there's no surprises and no investment with him at all.
- Chris Evans is... I'm not sure who had the bright idea to go and grab Chris Evans, but he was also utterly wasted here. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, Evans is -so much more- than what he's given to work with in this movie. Actually, it's worse, because Evans has spent so much time in the spotlight over the last 10 years because of Marvel that you -know- what he's capable of here. They could have found any Rando to play this role. Mind you, Evans' presence does pay one serious dividend at the very end of the film. I won't spoil it here, but it might just be the best part of the whole movie.
All of this is where the problem begins. I dunno, maybe Rian Johnson is just really bad at his job. Look what he did to Episode 8?
Yes, I said it.
The problem ends with a story that is both not complicated and way, WAY too complicated at the same time. Rather, let us say that it's not uniformly complicated. You can sleepwalk through the first two thirds of this movie because of how cut and dry things are. It's very much a slow burn. Then the final act starts and the proverbial masks start coming off, and you're left sitting there going, "Holy shit, that got super complicated super fast, and I'm now struggling to put it all together as fast as they're dumping it on me."
And then they add another twist.
...And then they add another one.
.......Aaaand then another one.
It's just too much. The film wasn't clever all the way through, so it tries to make up for it all at the end. Don't get me wrong, the ending is satisfying, and laugh-out-loud funny, but it's too little, too late for me.
This is a good movie. Just not a great one. And certainly it's not worth anything but a rental.
...I have no idea about how to write an introduction to this review, except to show you its trailer and ask the million dollar question.
So...yeah. Here's the trailer for Knives Out:
The question, as if it weren't obvious is, "Was it any good?"
THE SHORT VERSION:
Good enough to rent, but not mandatory theater-going fodder.
THE LONG VERSION:
I don't typically like murder mysteries. They have to bring something really special to the table in order for me to stay interested in them. Any child of the '70s or '80s will tell you that the classic Whodunit movie of our time is 'Clue'. This is known. It's so known, in fact, that 'Knives Out' references it almost immediately by name. That should tell you all you need to know about what this film aspires to be.
The problem with aspiring after 'Clue' is that 'Clue' had some significant issues, which is why it's generally referred to as a cult classic rather than a genuine smash hit. 'Knives Out' has some issues as well, and they stop it from being a really great movie and keep it one that's merely entertaining.
The problems with this film start with the cast. Oh, you'll go check that out on IMDB and think, "He's out of his mind. The cast looks phenomenal." I'll wait. Go look. Seriously, here's a link.
The problem with all of this excellence is that most of the case members are just so damn one-sided that it's hard to invest yourself in any part of the film. There are a few notable exceptions of course:
- Daniel Craig's turn as Benoit Blanc is face-slappingly hilarious. It's right up there with Johnny Depp's lunatic detective in 'Tusk'. Craig chews up every single scene he's in, and he's working for every single bite of it with that accent of his.
- Christopher Plummer is...well, it's Christopher Plummer. The man is a legend.
- Ana De Armas absolutely nails her role in this film. I'll say nothing more about that, except that she gets put in a variety of odd situations throughout the film and makes you believe every single one of them.
Then you have the other side of the coin.
- Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing, but she's just a cranky robot in this film. She has a ton of talent, and she's just utterly wasted here.
- Michael Shannon is...well, I hate Michael Shannon. Can somebody find me a movie with Shannon in it where he's a decent, likable guy please? This isn't made better by the fact that the film does exactly the thing with him that you expect it to, so there's no surprises and no investment with him at all.
- Chris Evans is... I'm not sure who had the bright idea to go and grab Chris Evans, but he was also utterly wasted here. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, Evans is -so much more- than what he's given to work with in this movie. Actually, it's worse, because Evans has spent so much time in the spotlight over the last 10 years because of Marvel that you -know- what he's capable of here. They could have found any Rando to play this role. Mind you, Evans' presence does pay one serious dividend at the very end of the film. I won't spoil it here, but it might just be the best part of the whole movie.
All of this is where the problem begins. I dunno, maybe Rian Johnson is just really bad at his job. Look what he did to Episode 8?
Yes, I said it.
The problem ends with a story that is both not complicated and way, WAY too complicated at the same time. Rather, let us say that it's not uniformly complicated. You can sleepwalk through the first two thirds of this movie because of how cut and dry things are. It's very much a slow burn. Then the final act starts and the proverbial masks start coming off, and you're left sitting there going, "Holy shit, that got super complicated super fast, and I'm now struggling to put it all together as fast as they're dumping it on me."
And then they add another twist.
...And then they add another one.
.......Aaaand then another one.
It's just too much. The film wasn't clever all the way through, so it tries to make up for it all at the end. Don't get me wrong, the ending is satisfying, and laugh-out-loud funny, but it's too little, too late for me.
This is a good movie. Just not a great one. And certainly it's not worth anything but a rental.
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