Knives Out (Rian Johnson, 2019)
I had no expectations going in to see this film. I’ve seen two of Rian Johnson’s films and I didn’t think much of Looper and I very much enjoyed The Last Jedi. The cast is one of the major selling points here. Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Daniel Craig and Christopher Plummer are all great draws. I loved seeing Don Johnson again after so long, and to see M. Emmet Walsh is a joy.
Anyway Plummer plays a rich successful author with a hideous family. He’s 85 years old and is found dead one morning. There is then an investigation and many twists and turns that really play with Police procedures, as any whodunnit does.
The joy here is that the film appears not to conform to all the rules, or does it. I couldn’t really care who did or didn’t do it, I found it far too enjoyable. I don’t think there are enough joyous films made for adults, these films used to be the stock trade of cinema, thirty or forty years ago. Long may these films continue. Wonderful, I want to see more not too demanding, enjoyable films
