After listening to my friend drone on and on about the movie ‘Knives Out,’ I finally gave in and went to go see it with her. Based on what I had previously heard about the movie, I had expected to spend the next 2 hours and 10 minutes on a classic “whodunit” story. I was somewhat interested but assumed it would be boring, as I’ve watched almost every mystery and crime movie. I can happily say now that I was wrong in about every single way.
The story starts off by introducing Harlan Thrombey, who has built a successful career writing crime novels. He has just prepared to pass his company down to the next generation. Plans are just in time for his 85th birthday, where his family is invited to stay at his mansion. Things are running smoothly until Harlan is found dead the next day. Detective Benoit, a third party private investigator is brought onto the scene, dismissing the accusations by the police that Harlan had killed himself. Everyone is a suspect and the stakes are high, especially considering Harlan’s abundant fortune and extravagant estate.
‘Knives Out’ presents a star-studded cast with names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and many more. As each minute goes by, you learn more about the twisted spider web of relationships within the Thrombey Mansion. Each character has a thoughtful backstory while simultaneously taking the viewer on a wild pursuit full of red herrings. This leads me to one of my favorite aspects of the movie, which is the overall depth and intricacy. Throughout the movie, you start to get the sense that every single detail and plot point has been scoured over to get every detail right. Another feature that I enjoyed was the originality woven throughout. There are several tropes that surround the mystery genre, and I was happy to not see a single one in ‘Knives Out’. This helped to create a unique experience that has led me to place this movie in my top five favorite of all time category.
If you are planning on watching Knives Out, I suggest that you first throw out everything you think you know about it. Everytime you think you know what happened, you keep watching and realize you’re wrong. I’m positive I made at least ten guesses throughout the course of the movie, and all of them were wrong. Knives Out is a charming and witty watch that is guaranteed to be worth your time.