Knives Out (2019)

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

Knives Out

The biggest disappointment I had with Knives Out was that halfway through the film the audience knew who did it. Now, I don’t mind a Columbo-style murder mystery, but something felt off about that style in this movie because they told you who did it too late for Columbo-style reveal but too early for a statisfying end. Then I was thinking, “Ok, I know who did it, but we still have over an hour left in the movie, so that character couldn’t possibly have done it, so there’s going to be a twist.” Which kinda ruins the twist.

I did like the filming style and the sets and costumes were great. Daniel Craig’s southern drawl was cute, and all the actors did a great job. I enjoyed recognizing all the actors in this film.

But some portions of the style were a bit over the top. The giant wheel of knives around everyone when being interviewed? Kitschy and dumb. The almost bumbling cops? Dumb.

But the twist of who really committed the murder was satisfying.

Fun? Mostly. Well acted? Sure. Oscar worthy? No.

Watch? Yes. Re-watch? Probably not.