Nothing was typical about this. Everything was beautifully done in this movie, the story, the flow, the scenario, everything.
I highly recommend it for mystery lovers, for anyone who wants to watch a good movie!
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kamalhasnaa8 December 2019
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pere-2536629 November 2019What an excellent film by Rian Johnson; definitely feels like the film he was destined to make. Writing that is slick as hell, sublime performances (most notably Daniel Craig who brings his A-game in a wonderfully charismatic turn), superb editing and wonderfully atmospheric music - all tied together by masterful direction. Will probably be among the most fun you have at a theatre this year and fans of Agatha Christie and old murder mystery stories will have plenty to love here - a nostalgically entertaining time!
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Hitchcoc29 March 2020No, it wasn't perfect. No it was not Academy Award material. But it was a delightful story with lots of classic whodunnit elements. I thought we got to know each character well and, like in an Agatha Christie novel, fulfilled their roles. I thought Craig did a nice job and kept things moving along. Plummer was good in his limited screen time. Once again, I'm so fed up with people who decide that IMDB presents an opportunity to destroy a valid system by giving a movie such as this a rating of One. Do you really think this film ranks down there with Alligator Women on Venus. That's what the One ratings are for. It's usually because a film gets a little hype and those with no imagination or who are unhappy with their lives feel the need to throw everything off. Use lower ratings, but try to show some objectivity.
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0U8 February 2020Knives Out is really a classic story of it's kind set in modern day with Daniel Craig even playing a very clear Hercule Poirot type character. There's a bit more humor and self-awareness than a lot of those classic stories, but never to the degree that it takes away from the twists and the mysteries. And there are some good twists. In fact one of the biggest mysteries is revealed midway through the movie which actually led me to check the time thinking "damn, are we near the end already?" but nope, they were just taking the movie on a left turn to Albuquerque that I did not anticipate and changed the course of the whole thing. Johnson has constructed a great mystery in the spirit of the classics. The fun of it too is how many twists there are without it ever feeling overdone. In that way also you can predict a few twists, but not another, so have fun feeling smart and still feel surprised by the others. It's just a classic fun film of its type.
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Coventry18 December 2019With the exception of my wife and daughter, and possibly my mother, Agatha Christie is the woman whom I love most on this planet. She truly was the most gifted and brilliant fiction writer who ever lived, and it rejoices me to see that her work still inspires other writers and filmmakers nowadays; more than forty years after she passed away. There are still many adaptations of her original work, but with "Knives Out", writer/director Rian Johnson attempts something entirely different. It's abundantly clear that Johnson was inspired by all of Christie's typical trademarks and hobby-horses, and he pays tribute to her most legendary characters and favorite settings, but the plot of "Knives Out" is entirely new and scripted directly for the screen. A good old-fashioned murder mystery/whodunit set in the enormous mansion of a wealthy family, full of eccentric people each of whom have dirty little secrets, convoluted plot twists, continuous red herrings that practically make it impossible to guess along, and a fabulous all-knowing but slightly odd sleuth slowly unravelling the clues.
Daniel Craig is downright terrific as Benoit Blanc, a private detective with a bizarre accent and weird one-liners, hired by someone anonymous to dig deeper into the strange and sudden death of patriarch Harlan Thrombey. It looks like suicide, but literally every greedy member of Harlan's bloodline had a motive for killing and - also in delightful Agatha Christie tradition - the plot even thickens after the reading of the will. It would be a shame to reveal too much about the plot, but rest assured that is refreshing and inventive, compelling as well as humorous, complex but simultaneously light-headed and 200% entertaining. The cast is phenomenal. Craig clearly enjoyed depicting a heroic protagonist that is the complete opposite of his James Bond character, and the Thrombey family exclusively exists of great talents, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Colette, Christopher Plummer and Don Johnson. "Knives Out" is perhaps slightly too long, but never tedious, and very well-directed by Rian Johnson (who honestly doesn't deserve all this hatred from disappointed "Star Wars" geeks) -
tcasavecchia1 December 2019As a fan of mysteries (Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Columbo, Monk, Psych.etc.) I was thrilled to see someone making a classic style whodunnit...and the cast! Figure you can't go wrong. Well I enjoyed it & while the cast all have time to shine it is Daniel Craig with his Southern drawl & especially Ana de Armas that steal the show. For anyone keeping away because they hated The Last Jedi...I agree, it was my least favourite of all the Star Wars films, but this is a well written film that was well acted and I can only hope this will inspire others to reinvigorate the murder mystery genre.
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TheLittleSongbird10 February 2021It was very hard to say no to watching 'Knives Out' and it was one of my most anticipated films since it came out. It was due to being busy and personal problems that stopped me from seeing it sooner. A lot drew me in to watching it. Absolutely love murder mysteries and seeing a lot of comparisons to one of my favourite authors Agatha Christie and the starry cast were reasons enough for me to see it, as well as the great reviews.
Found myself really enjoying, if not quite loving, 'Knives Out'. Can understand why it may not be for all, if one doesn't like seeing and hearing the truth much earlier on than they would expect, and it is easy to see the ridiculing for Daniel Craig's Southern accent (which is admittedly atrocious). Can totally understand its appeal and why it was so positively received though, because to me it was a well made, well acted and cleverly written film that shows that director Rian Johnson does have a great film in him. While not perfect or one of the best films ever made (though was not expecting 'The Godfather' or 'Casablanca' etc), it is a long way from being a 1/10 film, putting it down there with most of the films riffed on MST3K, films from SyFy and the Asylum, 'Home Alone 4', 'NeverEnding Story 3', 'Titanic: The Animated Movie' and the Baby Geniuses films is insulting. As far as 2019 goes, it is towards being one of the better films of that year if not one of the very best.
'Knives Out' had potential to be even better than it was. If it didn't overdo or repeat too much the vomiting running gag and slowed the final solution down (a suitably complicated one that is explained a little too fast for my liking) it would have been a better film.
Wouldn't have said no to the truth (well some of it was) being revealed later than it was, though even when it was placed when it was it was still in the final solution not at all what things initially seemed. The film is a little overlong as well.
However, so much works here. 'Knives Out' looks great, full of atmospheric colour, beautiful locations (the interiors of the house are especially atmospheric), stylishly photographed and slickly edited. Nathan Johnson's score has menace and energy, without feeling overused or over-scored. Johnson directs expertly with a clear love for the genre being sent up.
It is a cleverly scripted film too, shining especially in the smart and affectionate 70s murder mystery throwbacks and deliciously salty one liners and insults from Ransom. The story never felt dull to me and even when things seemed obvious too early some ingenious unexpected twists are brought in. Can totally see how Johnson was so influenced by Christie's writing, evidenced from as early on as the terrific opening sequence and with Christopher Plummer's patriarch character (a type of character seen frequently in Christie's books). A fine example of how to bring freshness to a very familiar genre often visited, while the final solution is incredibly clever though demands full attention.
Moreover, the ensemble cast, one of the best from that year, clearly have a ball. There is some delicious deadpan but also some inspired but not overdone scenery-chewing. Accent aside, Craig does a great job breaking away from his Bond image and revels being comedic in a laconic way. Plummer (RIP) is perfectly cast and while his screen time is not large he makes the absolute most of it. Ana De Armas has one of the most difficult roles and shows no signs of being taxed. Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson and Michael Shannon all give it everything they've got. My favourite performance came from Evans, also breaking away from typecasting, he was never this witty or salty.
Overall, very, very good. 8/10 -
pritol19 September 2020Great movie that really does have all the hallmarks of the classic murder mystery. The story is fairly typical, there is a shocking death, everyone has their motives, and piece by piece the truth is pulled together by a sleuth, in this case Benoit Blanc (great name), who comes across as a more modern version of Hercule Poirot.
To discuss the story, is to give away the twists and turns it takes, which are delightful. Tension is maintained really well throughout the film as you constantly try to guess and workout where this mystery is going, and even right at the end the twist that comes doesn't do anything to release that tension until literally the last 1min of the movie.
The real joy though is in an all star A-list cast all performing at the top of their game, and working so well together. In many cases playing against type which is a joy to watch. If you're a fan of murder mystery, then this is a much watch! -
grayner-230 November 2019I have read the many glowing reviews for this film and I honestly don't get it. Yes, there were some very funny and entertaining parts. It was a very good ensemble cast. Daneil Craig does his best Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood impression. But beyond that, I found the cast woefully underused. Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson etc. I expected Jamie Lee to play a major role but she seemed more like window dressing. She also, as the daughter, appeared to have no real motive for the murder. So the real crime here was her underuse. 1/2 of the members of the family had no motive mentioned. Then, when the "murder" was revealed at the half way point, it was clear Martha did not really do it and was being set up. Chris Evans conveniently shows up at the halfway point with lines, so the reveal, for the most part is painfuly obvious, or at least most of it. The give-aways were pretty obvious, like granny saying "Random, you're back AGAIN" or the comment on how the dogs barked only with certain people. The mention of the "slayer" law was very, very obvious. I understand this is a parody of the sleuth genre but shouldn't there be at least some surprises?
Nor do I believe this is a "commentary" on our situation today. Yes, there was a dialogue thrown in on immigration but nothing new was covered here.
That is not to say it is a bad film. Daniel Craig and the cast seemed to be having a ball. Lots of kooky things happened. But I think this is better for a late-nite Netflix watch.
I certainly don't see it as being "best of the year." -
johnryeh-4969429 November 2019I enjoyed this a lot. Clever, interesting and plausible in its logic. I enjoyed the deception put forth by the characters. I can usually tell where something is going and was genuinely surprised by the hole in the hole of the donut.
Some people might hate the politics of it, but I thought it gave a good dig at both sides while still being fairly liberal. FOX watchers will hate it, which I can see as kind of fueling the negative reviews.
What can also fuel the negative reviews. is all the positive hype about it. Too much enthusiasm from the critics can hurt a movie sometimes. Viewers go into the theater expecting too much.
Things never live up to the hype and this one didn't live up to it for me. But I thought it was still pretty solid and entertaining. I'm not sorry I spent some money on this one. -
maijita1 April 2020I saw the film a few months back and now that I noticed it is available for home watch decided to check the eating again, as at the time it was way too high in my opinion. I thought it would have gone down. It has not. Did I miss something spectacular about this film? Do I not have a sense of humor? I don't get it. It was ok. A bit slow. And absolutely nothing special. I think the ending was revealed too early and the twist was not suprising nor did I care about it. Weird.
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ialssaka5 December 2019Generally speaking you tend to find more murder mystery TV shows than movies, this is partially since it's hard to build a complete mystery in the allotted movie running time. This movie builds this murder beautifully by showing the different points of views of the suspects. It has a different take than other movies since it gives the viewer a little too much details mid-movie which leaves you questioning everything to the last minute. The acting was brilliant and I didn't feel the number of characters was overdoing it at any stage.
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con-fan7 January 2020I'm a mystery lover and have seen and read every Agatha Christie tale. I found this movie very slow for the first half. Second half picked up but again there was no deep mystery of whodunit, nor the charm and period atmosphere of a Poirot episode (which I can watch over and over - thank you David Suchet and the other main actors). The lead actress was very attractive, but the vomiting was definitely disgusting to watch, as well as ridiculously unbelievable (I guess that was the funny part?). Some of the characters had been under the sunlamp too many times or smoked way too often and looked weather-beaten. Did not like the sucking on cigars constantly. The last part was more entertaining and finally there was the rapid-fire conclusion thank the Lord. Agree that Daniel Craig with that southern accent was just super annoying. Great grandmother bored me after first moments of her being silent in an odd hat. Over and over. It moved pretty slowly for me at times. I guess I'm in a minority on this one. I'm not saying it was terrible but it was not a great movie for me.
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bigmin28 January 2020Being a middle aged Englishman I've been brought up on a diet of murder mystery stories and in many respects I've been spoilt. When the stories have translated from book to screen the production value is almost always secondary to the good conjunct story. I was very excited, having read the reviews, that seemingly in the case of 'Knives Out' I would be getting a rare trinity of a good story, good actors and good production. It certainly has two of the three. Unfortunately this film thinks it's cleverer than it is. It's simply a story of a privileged family and their pettiness with a rather trivial murder mystery chucked in as a contrivance to get them all together. Rian Johnson attempts to display the worst nature of the privileged minority with all the subtlety of a man screaming 'I am woke' at the top of his lungs at anybody who'll listen. Unfortunately subtlety and nuance are what makes for a good mystery story, you need to pay attention so as not to miss anything. With this film you could miss probably the middle third of the film and you'd not be any less aware of what's happening. A bit of a shame really.
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planktonrules3 November 2019Sometimes I am shocked when I see a great film...only to see it has an incredibly low overall score on IMDB. This is definitely the case with "Knives Out"....a great film by writer/director Rian Johnson that I strongly recommend you see. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this one receives some Oscar nominations...it's that good.
"Knives Out" is like an Agatha Christie novel set in modern day America and with American characters. But it's not just a homage to Christie-style films but a genuinely good and unique film in its own right. Kudos to many of the actors...particularly Daniel Craig. I thought Craig was miscast as a Southern American detective....but he carried it off wonderfully.
Overall, I have no complaints...nothing I disliked or would do differently. In fact, it was so good I nearly gave it a 10....and I completely enjoyed the movie. -
donnielovesmovies29 November 2019Knives Out (2019) 8/10🗡🚪💉💸
"Rian Johnson successfully revives the "whodunnit" mystery subgenre with this perfectly cast fun time, even if it doesn't bring anything groundbreaking to the table."
Knives Out is the kind of "whodunnit" film that will never fail to entertain. As a progressive mystery, Knives Out is a very fashionable movie with it's grand ensemble of fresh and familiar faces. With some very snarky and slick writing, these characters are albeit memorable, most notably Daniel Craig's Detective Blanc and Chris Evan's Ransome, however, the film fails to make full use of the ensemble to the greatest extent. Of course that never takes away from what else Knives Out has to offer. The intensity of every moment that leaves you questioning the motive and action behind the titled crime scene is delivered with such glorious fashion, one could say Murder on the Orient Express had a beautiful baby, this being the result, showing Rian Johnson's strongholds. While the first two acts of the movie are quite strong and promising, the third act finds itself being a little rough around the edges but manages to find it's footing upon the conclusion; one for all and all for one.
Verdict: Knives Out not only proves to us that Rian Johnson is a strong director with the right material, but also displays a fashionable reiteration of what the mystery genre can do to keep us guessing what is left in store for us to see in all the right ways. -
Ynocrozplatfom16 March 2020Good story with a creative and effective delivery. Very well written screenplay with all loose ends tied up together and reasonable foreshadowing and morals that echoes throughout, but there weren't any striking moments even to the point of final reveal, possibly due to the addition of yet more details approaching the end in an attempt to create a (slightly) forced satisfying end. Unnecessary characters and scenes that serve little to no purpose in the story other than for comedic effect were present, which maybe one of the reasons why audience may have a sense of emptyness when leaving the theatre. Nonetheless, Knives Out remains a fresh form of storytelling that is trying to achieve and convey more than your ordinary murder mystery.
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UniqueParticle23 November 2019Beautifully filmed and thought out very well which to me is good enough! Great ensemble cast that did excellent acting among adding hilarious parts in many scenes. Absolutely love Daniel Craig and Ana De Amas did awesome! I'm sure Knives Out has mixed opinions but I am very glad I got to see an early screening.
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I actually wish would do away with the star-rating portion of their website because it doesn't give an accurate rating for films and this film is a perfect example. Everyone knows that there are many bitter Star Wars fanboys rating this film low because they are still so bitter over Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi and as a result, they are going to try to ruin any of Rian's future films. They really need to just get over it and get a life, already. DON'T believe the Star-Rating of This Film Because It's Mostly from Bitter Star Wars Fanboys Rating the Film LOW ON PURPOSE!, obviously. Anyone who has actually seen this film would be brain-dead to rate it low or to not give it a good review because this film is so freaking entertaining! I could see it again and again. It's so different than the crap that has been in the theaters lately. It's fun, it's thrilling, it's wacky, it has so many twists and turns that it always keeps you guessing. And for the cast, what a freaking cast! I couldn't even tell you who the MVP of the cast was. They were all fantastic. We need more films like this and less big explosions, stupid plot films. I for one, will give this the true star-rating it deserves! 10/10!!!!! Bitter Star Wars fanboys, you can keep being immature and rating it low, but it isn't going to change the fact that the film is great and I'm going to encourage every single person to go out and see it pronto when it hits theaters!
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robertasmith16 October 2022Enjoyable in patches, it just doesn't engage. Hollywood has a long history of silly accents, and the accent adopted by Daniel Craig is just plain daft and simply not needed. Why oh why do actors agree to do such things. The biggest irony for me is there is a clip of an episode of 'murder she wrote' and every episode of that Angela Lansbury series was better written and acted than this film. The director can't make his mind up whether this is comedy, pastiche or a real murder mystery. Some of the acting is appalling and none of it that good. The script is badly written and the continuity dodgy in places. There have been other films that have tried such plots with dysfunctional families and none seem to work but such stories seem to on the small screen.
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Max_Simpson5 December 2019Knives out uses a really old idea, the "whodunit". Unfortunately, contrary to what many claim, there is not much here that makes it particular different or modern, except some hipster dialogue and humor (including a lot of throwing up by a specific character) and some commentary on current social issues, like the immigrant crisis, and pointing fingers at the ultra-rich, which is ironic because the writer/director of this movie is by now a multimillionaire and one of the highest paid directors in Hollywood. The writing is full of supposedly smart dialogue and ideas. In reality there not much cleverness here, while it constantly feels like the movie is trying too hard, and comes across as very pretentious and smugish. Most of the humor falls completely flat, it is overlong (130 minutes), twists are not surprising and don't really make sense. Only bright spots, Daniel Craig's amusing performance and the very talented Ana de Armas. Other than that, a semi-entertaining, mediocre and ultimate forgettable film. A perfect example of an uninspired writer/director, with a complete lack of originality, who uses a boring overused premise and accomplishes nothing new or interesting in the least.
Personally I don't know much about Star Wars as I don't really follow pop-corn franchises, so I don't know what's going on with this director and Star Wars. However, it is very puzzling seeing this mediocre film which basically takes place in a house, getting so much marketing hype and buzz, while Hollywood seems to be in love with this movie and its' director. Looking around the internet for reviews and ratings one would think this is a serious Oscar contender for multiple awards, while some people are calling it the best movie of the year and calling out trolls (?) etc. I'm confused. -
cruise0113 December 2019Knives Out (4.5 out of 5 stars).
Knives Out is a mystery murder crime film which you will have a lot of fun with this Clue like concept as Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) tries to solve a murder. This kind of film reminds me like Murder at the Orient Express. But a little more fun and entertaining. Rian Johnson direction and his witty script makes this movie worth watching. It is fun, there are surprises, and twist and turns.
The plot follows Harlan (Christopher Plummer) who is a patriarch and owns a lot. After he was mysteriously found dead and presumed it was a suicide. A private investigator Benoit Blanc is hired to solve the mystery. With the family being on the will and are wanting their share of Harlan's property and company. Blanc believes there is a suspect that is at large within the family.
The film's plot is a little slow moving. It is a lot of fun. Blanc interviewing every family member Ranson (Chris Evans) who is the black sheep of the family. Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband Richard (Don Johnson). Walt (Michael Shannon). Meg (Katherine Langford). Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Joni (Toni Collette). And their house nanny Marta (Ana de Armas). The cast ensemble was great. The performances are fun and entertaining.
The film is filled with surprises with twist and turns. Definitely best seeing without reading or looking up spoilers about it. I would love to see another movie of this.
Overall, Knives Out is a really good film. If you are into the murder mystery kind of movie. This would be it. -
FredGrimble28 November 2019I wish I had something good to say about this. A bland script, dull characters, a totally miscast Daniel Craig with an awful Southern accent and you are in for a painful night at the cinema. If you love murder mysteries / whodunnits, you need to avoid this. It can't even decide if it's trying to be fun or serious. In the end it's neither.
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Slarkshark13 September 2020A joy to watch from start to finish. Excellently filmed and very clever. The cast all hit the mark. Charismatic Daniel Craig shines throughout. Even Chris Evans shows he can be much more, or maybe less like Captain America than ever. Murder mystery's don't get much better than this.
I admit I was a skeptic, given my distaste for Johnson's Last Jedi. But I was pleasantly surprised from the get go. The script is smart and captivating. So kudos to you Mr. Johnson for a well written and directed piece of cinema. I will watch your next film with anticipation.