Knives Out

Knives Out offers cool stylization and a great ensemble cast, but the final unravelling of the mystery didn’t do much for me. On the one hand, its elements were predictable based on earlier events and, on the other hand, an important character was suspiciously sidelined. Even so, I very much enjoyed the time spent in that company and with such skilful filmmaking. I found it more entertaining than Branagh’s new (overly digitalised) Poirot. (22/01/2020)

It's a beautiful film. An imaginative case with a good bunch of interesting characters, some of them played by great actors. Needless to say, even those who were less known or completely unknown to me fit in with them easily. The whole thing is orchestrated by Daniel Craig, who leaves Bond behind completely and kicks things off as a very charismatic detective. The kind with real insight that you trust will crack the case in the end, but you still have to watch him do it. For me, it's basically a perfect show. 5 stars. (11/04/2020)

I can't be enthusiastic about it, but for me it's absolutely similar to Murder on the Orient Express. The cast is perfect no doubt about it, Daniel Craig as the detective is decent and Ana de Armas is as always adorable, but it didn't draw me in at all. It's not funny and certainly not entertaining, nothing much actually happens for the two hours, until the final minute twist that saves the whole film to at least average, but by then I was looking forward to getting out of the cinema. Disappointment of the year and Rian Johnson has definitely confirmed that he will never make a film that I will like. 5/10 (19/12/2019)

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. (08/01/2020)