Knives Out

A spectacular modern crime movie that bends the rules of the genre. Johnson is the narrator, so it’s hard for the audience to get lost. The tension could be cut with a knife almost throughout the movie. An incredible acting recital. Craig’s investigator removes all memory of Bond and Ana de Armas carries the heart of the entire story on her shoulders. This movie is like a donut with a hole in which there is another donut…with a hole…with a great climax inside. (08/02/2020)

I could rate this film with four stars and say it’s a very entertaining, witty and funny detective movie. But Rian Johnson not only directed his film, but also wrote its script. And he wrote it as a homage to Agatha Christie, who conceived her detective stories in a similar spirit. Form the beginning, you have to pay close attention to what is going on in the film. Even the tiniest detail might be of importance in the investigation. If I said anything more, it might be a spoiler, so I’ll just say that if you like Hercule Poirot and his investigations, try to watch this with as little knowledge of the plot as possible, and look forward to Daniel Craig’s performance. Even though everyone’s performances are perfect, listening to Daniel’s ingeniously eccentric English was just divine. I enjoyed this greatly, that’s why I’m giving this five stars. Knives Out are a detective story you don’t get to see today, offering an original plot hardly anyone would write these days (except for book-based films). For me, it was an absolute film orgy. (10/01/2020)

I have mentioned several times that I am not really fond of classic detective stories that revolve around a sophisticated criminal and an even smarter detective who doesn't need a team of colleagues, and for whom uncovering the culprit is primarily an intellectual feat. As the years go by, my aversion to the world of better people where these stories usually take place only intensifies. Such detective stories represent a stylized spectacle with stereotypical characters, typical settings, and beloved props, and in my opinion, it is too artificial and bourgeois. Therefore, I accepted my daughter's invitation to the movie theater with certain hesitation and assumed that it would be somewhat uninspiring. However, it was a pleasant surprise. Director Johnson, who is also behind the screenplay, does indeed like detective stories, but he is not afraid to play with the rules and turn the genre into a bit of a parody. Light exaggeration is omnipresent, and the cast members clearly enjoy their roles and add a dose of ironic detachment to their performances without turning the film into a blatant parody. The result should satisfy not only fans of the genre but also those who find the classic formula of detective stories somewhat cliché. The choice of Daniel Craig for the role of detective is daring because he would be more suitable for the tough American school or the opposite side of the law, but it works. In addition, the members of the wealthy family are charming in their animosity and shortcomings. Overall impression: 75%. (02/12/2020)

The trailer promised an old-school whodunit, and that's what the film is. I was very entertained until about halfway through, liking how completely but utterly everyone was lying and how Daniel Craig's character (who took me a while to get used to, at the time) accepted all the lies with a knowing smile. But somewhere in the second half it all started to get a bit scratchy, I suddenly felt like I was ahead of the investigators when I shouldn't have been, a feeling that was gradually confirmed and confirmed... until it was confirmed. I don't mind too much if the ending of a mystery doesn't shock me or at least surprise me, but I don't like it when it doesn't satisfy me at all and leaves me completely cold because it gives a terribly twisted impression. In a story by Agatha Christie or A. C. Doyle, on whose legacy Knives Out is based, this would never have happened. (09/01/2020)

At times unobtrusively and sophisticatedly funny and cynical, at times thoroughly convoluted and superbly acted. Perhaps only Daniel Craig was irritating with his crazy accent. Apparently they exploit everything that could be exploited from a murder in an opulent mansion. I reckon most of the 40 million-dollar budget went to the cast, because the visuals were very economical, sometimes too much (the car chase). A good one off, but no deal-breaker. (07/04/2020)