Year Released: 2019
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Anan de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chrisopher Plummer, Toni Collette, Chris Evans
(PG-13, 130 min.)
Genre: Mystery and Suspense, Drama, Dark Comedy

“Physical evidence can tell a clear story with a forked tongue.” –Benoit Blanc

Agatha would approve. So don’t be turned off by the cheesy trailer. The arch overacting is actually purposeful, a tongue in cheek tribute to the grand Dame of whodunnits.

It has all the usual trappings. The large, well-manicured estate, a family of grasping ne’er-do-wells, all of whom have secret reasons for wanting their 85-year-old patriarch dead, a will and hints of recent changes, as well as a charismatic and shrewd private detective.

But this English style mystery has its own American slant. We trade the precise Poirot for Daniel Craig’s handsome Southerner, Benoit Blanc, equally an outlier in the Massachusetts mansion as the Flemish Poirot was in England.

In contrast to the appearance of the bigger than life character, Hercule Poirot, Craig’s private detective is introduced in the shadows, sitting quietly at a piano bench while the local police interview family members over what at first seems a suicide. He does not speak, but merely strikes a single dissonant key on the piano at what could or could not be random intervals. In effect, from his first appearance, Blanc himself is mysterious, and his presence keeps everyone, including the audience, off guard.

And that takes me to Daniel Craig’s performance. First of all, what a relief to have him enjoying himself in a film! Quite a nice change from his dour 007 incantations/whining all-the-way-to-the-bank interviews over such.

And yes, a nice contrast to his pinch-faced one note samba as James Bond starring in his very own psychodrama. Craig actually shows some range here in Knives Out and seems to be having almost as much fun as the high-paid ensemble cast. He is witty, too:

Marta Cabrera: I’ve never been to a will reading.
Benoit Blanc: Oh, uh, you think it’ll be like a game show, but think of a community theater production of a tax return.

As to his accent, the verdict is out. Two of my Southern friends disagree. One thinks it is strained and inauthentic, but another, who saw the complete film and not just the overly melodramatic trailer, thought his accent was incredible. She credits it to an easy transfer from a British English to an American Southern inflection, which makes sense, given the South’s English forbears.

Another favorite is our corpse, Harlan Thrombey, played with humor, dignity, and warmth by 90-year-old Canadian veteran Christopher Plummer, whose career has spanned six decades. (To clarify, Harlan is our victim and corpse, but we get to know him through frequent flashbacks. ) A turn from a typical Christie ensemble is the goodness and likability of said victim. Often in Christie’s works one can tell who will soon meet his or her demise just by looking for the most loathsome (and rich) character. Harlan only fulfills the latter category.

Our third favorite is breakout performer Ana de Armas, a Cuban/Spanish actress whose on screen chemistry and recognized ability helped land her a role in Daniel Craig’s next outing a James Bond. In Knives Out…

De Armas, 31, stars as Marta, the caretaker of legendary mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Plummer), whose extended family is too busy counting the zeroes in their bank accounts to recognize their own privilege. After Harlan dies a sudden and grisly death, Marta is plunged into a shark’s tank of relatives hungry for his estate, while two local detectives and a Southern fried private investigator named Benoit Blanc (Craig) snoop around, suspecting foul play.–Jen Yamato

Ana plays Marta with the same warmth we see in Christopher Plummer’s Harlan Thrombey, as well as the depth and empathy we slowly uncover in Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. Her smile is luminous, and her beautiful plump lips are turned up in happiness or down in grief, but never in that diva pout we too often see on stage and screen. And Marta’s unique malady, the inability to lie without vomiting, or as Benoit Blanc so delicately labels it, “a regurgitive reaction to mistruthing,” also makes her a trusted asset in Blanc’s investigation.

Interestingly enough, these actors who are not American are so good in their roles that our native thespians look rather shallow, superficial, and cold. But more than that, their performances never rise above stereotypes occupying the requisite list usual suspects. They might complain that that is how they are scripted, but a great or even good actor transcends the script. Maybe our Captain America (Chis Evans playing bad boy grandson Ransom Drysdale) has been spending too much time in spandex and at the gym. And Jamie Lee Curtis , playing his mother, doesn’t seem to have any more range than she did as in her Halloween days some 40 years ago. She can no longer make up for flat acting by filling the screen with her ingénue innocence, nor with the curvaceous beauty she displayed in 1994’s True Lies. And a certain sneering cynicism seems inscribed in her current features.

Finally, we have humor and a light touch, something perhaps lacking in Christie’s writing or used to excess in in other whodunnit productions. Here, it is just enough to coax us and our stomachs through prolific plots twists without incurring the same malady from which Marta suffers.

This Oscar contender is actually quite good, and fun, too. What a surprise!

Addendum in regard to the sequel: The Glass Onion is so inferior to the original Knives Out that it does not even merit a complete review. This short paragraph is all it deserves. I think it was made for the younger set with no attention span - just quick cuts and not much time to develop character. The two leads were good, but the whole thing was typical of the new direction in cinema, which is both superficial and preachy. Ultimately the ending in regard to the famous Mona Lisa painting made me lose all sympathy for female character, Andi (and Helen)Brand (Janelle Monae.) No real sense of what is right or wrong or of great historical significance. Just a lot of rich and superficial losers, except for Daneil Craig’s Benoit Blanc.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

For our accompanying cocktail, Different Drummer is deferring to the Alamo Drafthouse, which got its start in her adopted home town, Austin, Texas:

Led by an all-star cast, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Colette, and Jamie Lee Curtis, Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT is a fresh, funny spin on the whodunnit that’ll have you second- and triple-guessing what really went down.

And who doesn’t love curling up with a juicy mystery and a cocktail or two? Check out the diabolically delicious drink specials we’ve got in store for you.

Whodunnit Highball

As Benoit Blanc gets to the bottom of the Thrombey mystery, you can get to the bottom of this classic mix of Dewar’s White Label Blended Scotch Whisky, fresh lemon, honey, mint, and club soda. –Alamo Drafthouse

Of course, the Alamo Drafthouse’s actual mixology is still a mystery, so Different Drummer will have to wing it.

Ingredients

2 oz. whiskey
6 oz. club soda
Honey to taste (How is that for a cop out?)
Lemon wedge and mint leaves for garnish

Directions

Fill highball glass with ice.
Pour in whiskey.
Top with club soda and the lemon and mint garnish.

But let’s not forget a toast, also with a little different Drummer spin:

“To absent friends, especially dead patriarchs who were about to disinherit us.”

Make sure to follow the link below for even more Knives Out Cocktails.

Drafthouse.com