It has been a long time since I went to the cinema to see a non-franchise film (Rocketman was the last one) and so I decided I’d give Knives Out a stab.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Knives Out has a star-studded cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Michael Shannon. It is also directed by the same man who helmed The Last Jedi – Rian Johnson.
Now I didn’t hate Last Jedi, but I didn’t love it either, so I was a little bit sceptical going into this film. But I didn’t have to be.
Knives Out is a classic who dunnit but with some unexpected twists.
The film had a slow start, I started to wonder when we’ll start getting to the good stuff and luckily it wasn’t too long.
I won’t spoil anything here but ultimately the ‘murder’ is not what it first looks like and perhaps it’s not as clear cut as other mysteries, but that’s what makes it so good.
With the cast, there are two stand-outs. Daniel Craig and Chris Evans.
Both give amazing performances and it’s good to see both of them shed their iconic action hero roles. Especially for Craig who seems to be relishing being a grizzled Southern detective.
One issue I did have was the under-use of some characters.
The two ‘grandchildren’ are used very sparingly, so much so that you probably wouldn’t have missed them at all and they could’ve been cut completely. However, they do serve for some of the motives and exposition.
Overall, Knives Out is a great film. One I could happily watch again. It does have a slow start which could turn some people off, but it is definitely worth sticking with for the end pay-off.
Knives Out: 4/5
Connor Mountford 