Knives Out (2019) (1 Viewer)

[Greg.K]

We saw this today and really enjoyed it. A couple of nice twists in the plot kept it entertaining, as did Daniel Craig who looked to be having a lot of fun in his role. I want to see it again to see how well they telegraphed the clues.

 

[Will Krupp]

I do think it's curious, and I believe it's been mentioned before elsewhere, but does anyone else find it curious that Plummer's character's name, Harlan Thrombey bears a very close resemblance to the old Choose Your Own Adventure book character, Harlowe Thrombey? Guess being an '80s kid as soon as I heard the name it brought back some very specific memories about the book...

I had completely FORGOTTEN about that book, I loved it when I was a kid! It was my favorite CYA of them all and I never even made the connection.

Saw this yesterday and have to agree with all the positive word of mouth. It was SO much fun, I loved it. I have to say that I saw Craig's obviously awful Southern accent as sort of a gentle poke to all of the cinematic Poirots (Finney, Ustinov, Sachet, Branagh) with terribly overdone Belgian accents. It was a fun, fun movie!

 

[Rob Willey]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one even though I went in knowing nothing about it other than it sported an outstanding cast. As such, I didn't get the joke when Ransom said "CSI:KFC" because I didn't realize Daniel Craig was doing a southern accent. D'oh!

Definitely one of those movies you can enjoy once for the ride and a second time once you know where it is going to see how it got there, ala Fight Club and The Usual Suspects.

 

[Wayne_j]

I saw this today and loved it. I wonder if Rian Johnson read that book at some point and the name stuck subconsciously.

 

[Matt Hough]

Given the film has done so well, I wonder if there is a chance Craig would be interested in reprising his role in a new mystery? Or if the writer-director would want to make another one?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Given the film has done so well, I wonder if there is a chance Craig would be interested in reprising his role in a new mystery? Or if the writer-director would want to make another one?

I think so. There have been interviews where Johnson was asked about this and responded positively, although I can't find one right now but I read that somewhere for sure. Also, since Craig is leaving Bond, this would give him a new recurring character if a sequel were to happen.

Lionsgate would probably love a sequel, too, because they are awfully short on active franchises at the moment. The Hunger Games is over; Divergent cratered and didn't finish; Robin Hood bombed, which nipped any hope for it to become a series in the bud; Tyler Perry ended Madea and took a first-look deal at Paramount; and Saw is getting some kind of reboot with Chris Rock, but whether that will work or not is an open question. If they can get Johnson and Craig to make a new one of these every few years, that will certainly be a big boon to Lionsgate's overall slate and strategy.

I thought the movie was absolutely fantastic. Johnson is one of the most talented filmmakers working today. He clearly had a vision for this film and knew exactly how to get what he wanted, but I really appreciated how well he used each actor. Letting them play against type and guiding them there so that they could sink their teeth into meaty roles that they wouldn't normally do was great. I especially loved

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Chris Evans as the villain, which was so diametrically opposed to his previous work as Captain America, and I think he relished that opportunity.

Based on the merit of her performance, Ana de Armas should have been a breakout star of Blade Runner 2049, but that didn't happen for her due to the film underperforming. I think the success of Knives Out will do for her career what 2049 should have done, and I look forward to seeing much more of her in the future.

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Although the natural assumption would be to surround Craig with a new all-star cast for any hypothetical sequel and leave this group of characters behind, I liked her so much in it, especially in her interactions with Craig's character, that I found myself hoping that he will hire her as his associate or something, just so that she can be in the next film too. I would miss her if she wasn't there.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't think that's going to happen due to how this current movie ended for that character.

 

[Nick*Z]

A very tidy, slightly perverse, and thoroughly macabre whodunit of the 'locked room' Agatha Christie ilk, that left me amused and entertained. The ensemble murder mystery hasn't played this well at the show for quite some time. Standouts were, of course, Craig's cagey dick, with colorful turns from Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette. Dame Christie is likely smiling down on this one.

Aside: does anyone know whatever became of the reboot of Christie's Death on the Nile, that was to have followed Branagh's reboot of Murder on the Orient Express?

 

[TravisR]

Aside: does anyone know whatever became of the reboot of Christie's Death on the Nile, that was to have followed Branagh's reboot of Murder on the Orient Express?

I'm pretty sure it's either shooting or just finished and will be out next year.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't think that's going to happen due to how this current movie ended for that character.

Oh, I agree it probably won't happen. I would just like it to happen because I enjoyed her in it so much.

I'm pretty sure it's either shooting or just finished and will be out next year.

You're right. Disney dated it for release on October 9, 2020.

 

[bujaki]

A Sondheim tune showed up in this one as well, literally murdered by Craig.

 

[Jake Lipson]

A Sondheim tune showed up in this one as well

I thought that was the one of funniest things I've seen in a movie all year. It was so random and unexpected, and the last thing I would have expected to hear in that spot. It was hilarious.

 

[bujaki]

I thought that was the one of funniest things I've seen in a movie all year. It was so random and unexpected, and the last thing I would have expected to hear in that spot. It was hilarious.

Only 3 people laughed at the screening I attended: my wife, my son and I. Ah, the folly.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Only 3 people laughed at the screening I attended: my wife, my son and I. Ah, the folly.

I was the only one who laughed at my screening. I doubt anyone else there knew what the song was.

Also, Sondheim is having a very good year, with songs featured in three possible Best Picture nominees.

 

[Edwin-S]

I saw this a few days back. It was well done and a twist on the typical whodunnit.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Such a tasty little, old-fashioned murder mystery. It doesn't surprise me that director Rian Johnson was attracted to this after working huge budget, CGI, SFX beasts. It must be totally refreshing to have a group of real actors playing off one another and no green screens involved.

My first professional screenwriting gig was to update yet another adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None. These parlor murder mysteries are not as easy to pull off as you would think. You have to work backward from the conclusion to make sure all the puzzle pieces fit. But that's why these films also invite multiple viewing to see what clues have foreshadowed the conclusion. They're very satisfying when done with an almost morbid delight. Knives Out satisfies on all counts.

 

[WillG]

saw this tonight. Liked it and apparently still doing relatively good business since we tried to see it last night and it was sold out and the theater we saw it in tonight was also near full (granted this was one of those recliner seat theaters so there aren’t as many seats as a regular theater).


for a few moments my dark horse theory was

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the “assistant“ detective might have been in on the blackmail plot since he was a fan of Harlan’s work and might have been more tuned in on what was going on since the initial cover up was all concocted by Harlan.


Even though the movie presented the family as politically divided and even though he wasn’t mentioned by name, (And forgive the sensitivity) the Trump stuff pretty obvious, especially the “he loaned her 1 million to start that real estate company“. I wonder if that stuff will hold up long term.

I chuckled at the part where Colette was tying to be the fun dancing person and trying to pull JLC up be she was having none of it, Also “MAYBE HE LEFT YOU A GLASS OF MILK IN HIS WILL, YOU ASSHOLE”. I think I would enjoy a show centering on this family, very “Arrested Development“ like

I’m not entirely sure about the “you instinctively knew the viscosity difference between the morphine and the other drug“ thing, but I guess “In The Line of Fire” did a similar thing like 25 years ago (but that movie actually showed Clint trying to determine if the gun he was holding was empty)

Also, thanks to “Archer”, every time the name Benoit was mentioned, I had to append “balls” in my head in Archer’s voice.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Knives Out crossed $100 million domestically and is Rian Johnson's highest-grossing film that is not The Last Jedi.

I'm so glad this is a well-deserved big hit.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Will, re: spoiler comment.

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I don’t think there will be a problem with the dinner table conversation aging poorly. It doesn’t really matter that the specifics concerned a current political topic; it’s just there as a red herring to illustrate some of the ways the family is divided and to give a sense of the dynamics. You could rewrite that scene to take place in any era and just change the specific political grievances. I don’t think the scene or the film requires or asks you to share the politics of any of the characters. It’s kind of a recurring background theme in these “rich people staying together and a murder mystery breaks out” stories that someone is always in favor of a current issue and someone is against it. It’s just a great shorthand to show that while they might present a facade to the detectives, eventually the cracks in family unity start to show.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Spoiler

Setting the story in the current political climate was an interesting choice that allowed Johnson to comment on the state of the world today. Just because it dates the film to 2019 doesn't mean the film will suddenly be devoid of value when the political climate changes. There are lots of great films which deal with political and cultural issues of the time in which they are made. Johnson used it effectively enough to enhance the storytelling and make his points, but it didn't overwhelm the story, because the characters' political beliefs are just one part of their incredibly rich personalities, and these beliefs alone do not define the movie. It would have been weirder to tell this story without references to the political climate. Making it timely makes the arc interesting, and that's what's going to help the movie hold up beyond this year.