Knives Out reviews

Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Sabin »

I rewatched Knives Out in the hopes that I might join the rest of the circus of admiration. While I had most of the same thoughts (it’s overlong, it feels like a performed script, water-treading second act), I think it’s easy to take for granted what works so well about it. It’s a really smart subversion of genre the way that it sets up this busy mystery with the cast… but then it just brushes all that aside to tell you what really happened at the start of the second act. And of course, it has a knockout third act. That’s not bad at all! It also has a very appealing central performance by Ana de Armas. I can't quite surrender fully to the circus. I just don't think I'm ever going to love this film because just find some of it annoyingly directed and I can't pretend that I didn't (this film really could've used a more memorable score), but it deserves to be warmly remembered and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
"How's the despair?"
taki15
Assistant
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:29 am

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by taki15 »

Mister Tee wrote:It's a quite enjoyable mystery, with a decently complicated plot, but it's not nearly as inventive as one might have anticipated from the guy who made Looper. I liked the general lightness of its touch -- the references to countries people erroneously thought Marta hailed from stayed funny because no one hit it home with a thud; similarly, Johnson's "we saw it at the Public" (re: Hamilton) was just a throwaway line, and funnier because it didn't underline its hipper-than-thou-ness. A number of plot elements were gently planted as well (Curtis' saying her father and her played magic games; the set-up with the knife). I will say I guessed what would happen when de Armas took the phone call near the end, but by then I was deep enough into the plot it didn't spoil my enjoyment.

The social critique has some prime moments -- the reveal that Curtis started her "from the ground up" business with a million dollar loan (remind you of anyone?); de Armas' rebuttal to Shannon that, as long as she had the money, she could do for herself what Shannon was promising to do for her (a tacit answer to supply-side economics); and the final visual of Marta on her balcony, looking down on what have suddenly become her supplicant subjects.

Not the exciting discovery I'd hoped for based on Toronto reviews, but a pleasurable enough two hours. If it gets an original screenplay nomination, I won't gripe hard; on the other hand, if it misses, no big woof.
Pretty much the same impression I had. As far as Agatha Christie-like whodunits it's nowhere near Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express but vastly better than Kenneth Branagh's version.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Mister Tee »

It's a quite enjoyable mystery, with a decently complicated plot, but it's not nearly as inventive as one might have anticipated from the guy who made Looper. I liked the general lightness of its touch -- the references to countries people erroneously thought Marta hailed from stayed funny because no one hit it home with a thud; similarly, Johnson's "we saw it at the Public" (re: Hamilton) was just a throwaway line, and funnier because it didn't underline its hipper-than-thou-ness. A number of plot elements were gently planted as well (Curtis' saying her father and her played magic games; the set-up with the knife). I will say I guessed what would happen when de Armas took the phone call near the end, but by then I was deep enough into the plot it didn't spoil my enjoyment.

The social critique has some prime moments -- the reveal that Curtis started her "from the ground up" business with a million dollar loan (remind you of anyone?); de Armas' rebuttal to Shannon that, as long as she had the money, she could do for herself what Shannon was promising to do for her (a tacit answer to supply-side economics); and the final visual of Marta on her balcony, looking down on what have suddenly become her supplicant subjects.

Not the exciting discovery I'd hoped for based on Toronto reviews, but a pleasurable enough two hours. If it gets an original screenplay nomination, I won't gripe hard; on the other hand, if it misses, no big woof.
User avatar
Precious Doll
Emeritus
Posts: 4453
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2003 2:20 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Precious Doll »

Sabin wrote:
OscarGuy wrote
To answer your question, I've seen Looper, The Last Jedi, and Knives Out. He doesn't have the greatest track record with me, so I'm not sure I care about his prior films.
Those of us who started with his prior films (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) had high hopes for him this decade, which he hasn't met. Brick and The Brothers Bloom would've made my top ten list each year. Nothing he's done since has come close, although I might end up liking Knives Out more on subsequent viewings.

I've never thought much of any of his films though Knives Out looked good from the trailer. If only he'd fleshed out the characters more and cast an American actor rather than Daniel Craig it may have worked out better.

Still I'll take Knives Out over The Good Liar (which also had a good trailer) where the twists and turns are pretty awful from the start and flashback scenes are amongst the worst to ever grace a film. Though it was oddly slightly enjoyable.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Reza
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10031
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 11:14 am
Location: Islamabad, Pakistan

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Reza »

Best to just stick to actual Agatha Christie or if you want laughs as well then "Murder By Death".

"Knives Out" is such a pale imitation and just goes on and on.
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Sabin »

OscarGuy wrote
To answer your question, I've seen Looper, The Last Jedi, and Knives Out. He doesn't have the greatest track record with me, so I'm not sure I care about his prior films.
Those of us who started with his prior films (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) had high hopes for him this decade, which he hasn't met. Brick and The Brothers Bloom would've made my top ten list each year. Nothing he's done since has come close, although I might end up liking Knives Out more on subsequent viewings.
"How's the despair?"
User avatar
OscarGuy
Site Admin
Posts: 13668
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 12:22 am
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by OscarGuy »

To answer your question, I've seen Looper, The Last Jedi, and Knives Out. He doesn't have the greatest track record with me, so I'm not sure I care about his prior films.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Sabin »

Okri wrote
I would rank the Brothers Bloom as among its decades best!
It's a 2009 film but I think it's an adorable, lovely film.
"How's the despair?"
Okri
Tenured
Posts: 3345
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:28 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Okri »

I would rank the Brothers Bloom as among its decades best!
User avatar
Precious Doll
Emeritus
Posts: 4453
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2003 2:20 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Precious Doll »

Sabin wrote:
OscarGuy wrote
Big disappointment for me. Of course, I was also not much of a fan of Looper, so I guess I'm 1 for 3 with Rian Johnson.
Have you not seen Brick or The Brothers Bloom?
Knives Out is a masterpiece compared to those two, especially The Brothers Bloom which I still remember as one of my most excruciating filmgoing experiences of my life. I've never been much of a fan of Rian Johnson's work but Looper or Knives out would have to rank as the er em high points. :oops:

And as for Knives Out - a film that runs for as long as this one does (about two hours not including credits) gives very little for its largely talented cast to actually do. The characterisations are scant at best and the only jokes that really work were the politically related ones (I would not have known what 'Anchor Baby' meant if one of our many rabidly right-wing politicians hadn't used the term just a few weeks ago).

The pacing is OK and I didn't guess the whole thing until just before Daniel Craig (in and out of a bad accent) reveals all. Still is great to see it doing such great box office and will hopefully encourage studios to take more chances on films that aren't reboots, remakes, etc, even if this is derivate of better films from the past.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Sabin »

OscarGuy wrote
Big disappointment for me. Of course, I was also not much of a fan of Looper, so I guess I'm 1 for 3 with Rian Johnson.
Have you not seen Brick or The Brothers Bloom?
"How's the despair?"
User avatar
OscarGuy
Site Admin
Posts: 13668
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 12:22 am
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by OscarGuy »

There was some good humor here and there, but I agree it was rather tedious. It's a great cast and they largely play unlikable characters, which makes things difficult to appreciate.

If this was an homage to clue, it was a terrible one. Clue was a slapstick farce where everyone was a murderer, but you generally liked all of them. This one has two likable suspects and by the end, only one of this is remotely likable.

The film plays out more like a mediocre take on an Agatha Christie adaptation and plays out almost exactly in the Queen of Mystery's trademark style. It subverts that style on occasion, but never in an exciting way. I also felt the payoff went in the wrong direction. (SPOILER WARNING): There's a point when Plummer is explaining to de Armas that sometimes it's hard to recognize a fake from the real thing. While this ultimately turned out to be foreshadowing to the final moment when Evans attacks de Armas, most of the film I was hoping that it was actually Plummer saying that about the knife he uses to slit his own throat and thus revealing that it was a way to show not just de Armas that the family that so wanted to take care of her didn't give two shits about anything but money, but to also confirm that to him so as to justify his changing of the will. I felt that would have been significantly more satisfying of an ending than what we got.

As a big murder mystery fan, I'm always on the look out (ear out?) for bits of dialogue or visual clues that will point the way in the end and the whole thing felt like everything was retroactively rearranged so as to reach the outcome that happened rather than organically developed into the outcome that should have been.

Big disappointment for me. Of course, I was also not much of a fan of Looper, so I guess I'm 1 for 3 with Rian Johnson.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Okri
Tenured
Posts: 3345
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:28 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Okri »

My comment was snarkier than I meant it to be, so my apologies. I laughed a fair bit and thought it did quite a bit right. But I'm pretty thoroughly a Johnson fan (haven't see his Star Wars film because I actively dislike the whole thing) so grain of salt time.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Mister Tee »

Haven't seen the film -- hope to get to it this week -- but I have to say, in principle, I'm over the moon about a movie that comes from nowhere, with no obvious star-power or selling points, and becomes a seemingly huge hit simply based on good reviews. Maybe the movie business can be saved yet.
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: Knives Out reviews

Post by Sabin »

Okri wrote
My theatre laughed a lot. The 'masturbating Nazi" line killed, as did the repeated wrongness of just which country she was from.
That line got laughs from my theater.

I need to see the film again.
"How's the despair?"
Post Reply

Return to “2019”