Synccinema Quickie - Knives Out

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Knives Out – A classic whodunit Agatha Christie-style.


The family of Thrombeys are stuck by the death of Harlan Thrombey, a Crime writer, when they get together on his 85th Birthday. It’s up to Detective Benoit Blanc to solve the mystery behind the mans demise. What follows is a satisfying as well as a hilarious tale of the WHODUNIT crime-solving mystery. 


Director and Writer Rian Johnson perfectly takes the old school murder mysteries and turns it into a new age entertaining suspense drama. The perfectly balanced meta, as well as novelistic style, along with some enjoyable comedy brings out a cocktail of emotions and genres, everything, lying inside the overarching theme.

 Just like one of those age-old Ag.Christie’s or Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories that you might have read or heard about in your childhood.


The characters written by Rian are a delight as a whole and also singly. The Daughters, Sons, In-laws, everyone create a crackling drama with their wittiness and zeal eye for the property of their Father. Especially, Chris Evans as Ransom Dudley Thrombey gets some of the cheesiest lines and brings in a breath of tanginess to his electrifying character.

 The dysfunctionality and selfishness among themselves make in for a rich drama as everyone amongst them seem to have a strong motive for the murder. We also have Marta, the innocent, dutiful nurse and caretaker for Harlan who was the last to see him alive.

Daniel Craig(with the alarming Southern Accent) as a modern-day Sherlock, or as he was called “the last of the Gentlemen’s sleuth”, aces his part. With his hands always pocketed in his oversized Tan Suit, a smoking cigar, and a great sense of passive humour adding few giggles to the otherwise grim plot.


The movie is technically sumptuous. The Cinematography by Steve Yedlin and the set design by Rian Johnson himself fill the place with looming and pensive feel. The large mansion, deep-dark woods, the dogs and unforgettably the midnight-mist, just the perfect setting for the felony to strike. We also have a chair meshed with knives pointing towards its centre. With crisp edit and vignette frames, Knives out gets its firm footing for setting the mood to thrill.

Also read - #SCSuggests- Oscar Series - 1917 -  https://synccinema.blogspot.com/2020/02/scsuggests-oscar-series-1917.html



Though Knives out doesn’t entirely stand out to appeal  sheerly suspenseful, also to be a single-layered piece, it does stand out to entertain you with the mystery that it holds and the way it’s amusingly balanced with its sub-genres, making up for its crisp run time. The movie can be trusted and is worth your time and money.

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