Johnson has put together a star-studded cast. Even Millennials will enjoy seeing some of their favorite film icons in different roles. James Bond (Daniel Craig) with a southern accent. Captain America (Chris Evans) as an asshole.
And frisky performances by Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer (who now is the patriarch in every movie made this century).
The one actor I didn’t really know was Ana de Armas, who pretty much was the lead. But she held her own beautifully, shining bright against all that star wattage.
The real standout for me though was Rian Johnson. Known (at least by me) for writing superhero popcorn movies, the screenplay for KNIVES OUT was beautifully crafted. Everything was set up and paid off. The story was complicated and convoluted, but not to where you’re lost. Billy Wilder lives!
As for the plot, he keeps you guessing and keeps you delightfully off-balanced. I just imagine Johnson plotting this with a thousand multi-colored index cards constantly moving them around the board. Well, he found the right order.
There’s also some good laughs, which all come from character. And the tone is consistent. A lot of times this type of movie veers off into silly or overly dramatic. KNIVES OUT walks that fine line, keeping the suspense up, the humor organic, and eccentric characters flashy but grounded.
It was sort of like a superhero movie for grown-ups – an enjoyable diversion, a fun ride. And it wasn’t a sequel! Or prequel!
KNIVES OUT is playing everywhere. Go see it before it’s bumped from your favorite theatre by DESPICABLE ME 9.
I loved Knives Out. It's a comedy written for grown-ups! It was refreshing to laugh at a film because of real, organic writing and not a bunch of dick jokes.
ReplyDeleteIf you like that, check out Brick. It's his take on the hard-boiled film noir detective movie, but set in a high school. Really good too.
ReplyDeleteAna de Armas is like Kate Winslet, drops her dress in every movie.
ReplyDeleteHad threesome with Keanu Reeves in that sleazebag Eli Roth's movie. The other partner in the threesome was Eli's wife.
Said she was super pumped to go naked in 'Blade Runner 2049'.
Is she naked in this too?
Wait....this one WASN'T too long?
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I enjoyed this very much as well (and also his Star Wars film which I thought was the best one since Empire Strikes Back). His film "Brick" is also terrific. It's a neo-noir story in the manner of "The Big Sleep" but set in high school (and is much, much better than that description makes it sound.)
ReplyDeleteBumped by Despicable Me 9? Maybe Spiderman Origins 5: Parker bites the Spider.
ReplyDeleteI loved this movie. At first it seemed to simple, but I was wrong. Ana de Armas was brilliant and Chris Evans played an awesome asshole.
ReplyDeletePhil,
ReplyDeleteYou're the reason's there's a MeToo movement...
Note to Phil: Yes there's an amazing three-way with Ana, Capt America and Jamie Lee Curtis. I can't believe you weren't there opening night, since an actress' tits seem to be how you rate her abilities.
ReplyDelete- Ron Jeremy's agent
My wife and I really enjoyed this movie. Parts of if it telegraphed ahead of time, but the slick thing was the why. For us at least, it wasn't obvious why until the reveal. Neither of us felt like there was any cheating, we see more than the detective does.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dixon and Anon. de Armas has been in a dozen movies, but apparently seeing two is enough for Phil to be an expert. She's terrific in this film, as is the entire cast, and no, nobody gets naked.
ReplyDeleteDixon Steele,
ReplyDeleteFor the lack of a milder term, I will call you "stupid".
My comment was sarcastic. Ridiculing actresses who feel they need to shed clothes in every movie.
How exactly is my sarcastic comment related to Metoo?
Anonymous coward who is scared to give his name, read the above comment.
ReplyDeleteToo many people who don't get sarcasm.
Phil, your comment doesn't convey clearly as sarcasm, but rereading it knowing it's supposed to be sarcastic I can kinda see it. As for actresses wanting to get naked in a film, I doubt it. I believe they are usually required to in order to get the part because the male producers want them to (for many reasons).
ReplyDeleteJust saw it on Saturday. It was a lot fun one only two that came out this year I saw. It was the better of the two
ReplyDeleteSpoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler
ReplyDeleteWhile I was extremely disappointed in Knives Out! as a comedy, as a mystery,
and as a narrative film, its popularity might get us some better light whodunnits
in the pipeline. There certainly seems to be a hunger for them.
The verbal wit but once rose above the level of “eat shit “
The physical humor- silent granny, projectile vomiting-
was even less ambitious
Daniel Craig’s recycled Logan Lucky accent was hardly worth
the one joke that justified it.
The political jests (against Trump and bigots) drew neither
blood nor laughs.
Compare with the recent The Death of Stalin, or Ninotchka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv9KJC7eYSg
The interior scenes were unnecessarily underlit.
The flashbacks were tedious and too numerous.
The female protagonist was too dim,
and negligent a caregiver, to inspire a rooting interest.
The culprit(s) was(were) immediately identifiable.
The “surprise” outcome of a final violent encounter was entirely predictable,
as was a lead-up to a confession-extraction scene.
I third (fourth?) the Brick recommendation, as well as Looper. And Johnson also directed a handful of Breaking Bad episodes, including the penultimate, "Ozymandias." He's a talent!
ReplyDeleteSarah beat me to it. Johnson's Breaking Bad episodes were amazing. "Fly," for example.
ReplyDeletePhil: Wait a minute. You think that nudity in films is not something that is specified in the scripts, or demanded by the producers or directors? Rather, it is something that the actresses involved insist upon? You think that none of Ana de Armas's films was meant to include nudity, but she forced the filmmakers to let her take her clothes off?
ReplyDeletePerhaps you should not be accusing other people of stupidity.
There's a real subtlety to the family's bigotry that a lot of people, including critics, miss. For example, they often refer to Craig's character with terms like "Foghorn Leghorn" or "Kentucky Fried Chicken"--to them, all Southerners are alike. But the detective's name is Benoit Blanc--which is French, roughly translating to "good white guy"--meaning he almost certainly hails from N'Awlins. And none of them notice this.
ReplyDeleteKnown (at least by me) for writing superhero popcorn movies
ReplyDeleteYou may be thinking of someone else, Ken - as noted by others, Johnson's breakout movie Brick is a Hammett-style noir set in a high school, his followup The Brothers Bloom (the least satisfying of his works as writer or director, imo) is a cross-Europe caper flick, and his biggest self-originated feature Looper is a time-travel psychological thriller, starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt as the same guy at different ages.
His Breaking Bad episodes are great, and his music videos are very good, and the Star Wars he did is the only one I've seen in the last 34 years, but Brick is the one you're most likely to enjoy after Knives Out, I think.
This fine interview with Johnson on the craft of screenwriting acknowledges Wilder plenty: https://scriptmag.com/interviews-features/rian-johnson-talks-screenwriting-and-what-classic-movies-can-teach-us
ReplyDeleteJust a brief comment to say that I saw this movie tonight, and loved it. Great and solid entertainment. What a pleasure to see these actors at the top of their game.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about the announced plans for a Knives Out sequel?
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to catch this kind of lightning in a jar twice? Or is the dynamic going to feel stale the second time around? What kind of pitfalls should the creators try to avoid in putting together this kind of project?