“Knives Out” (2019) by Ryan Johnson

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Knives Out Plot
The Unpredictable Story
The Cinematography
The Dysfunctional Family
The Downsides
Concluding Remarks
Works Cited

Introduction

The mystery movie Knives Out, directed and written by Ryan Johnson, is a modern whodunit that tells the story of a family gathering gone wrong as its patriarch is found dead. Released in 2019, the movie has been highly acclaimed by both critics and viewers for its stylistic direction, the unexpected turn of the plot, as well as an award-winning cast. Knives Out stars, Daniel Craig, Christ Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Michael Shannon, Christopher Plummer, Toni Collette, and others.

While the movie’s budget was $40 million, its box office sales reached $312 million. At the Golden Globe Awards, Knives Out received the nominations for Best Motion Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay nominations at the 2019 Academy Awards and the British Academy Film Awards. The accolades point to the positive receipt of the movie for its cast and screenplay. The movie can be enjoyed not only because of the story and the suspense of finding out who killed an important character but also for the unique style of cinematography and great acting.

Knives Out Plot

The plot of Knives Out centers around the mysterious circumstances of the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey the same night when his entire family gathered at the house. The appearance of the renowned detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, at the scene of the crime is concerning for the family because each of them becomes a suspect. The relationships between everyone are very complicated, which makes the investigation more challenging than expected.

As said by Benoit, “the complexity and the gray lie not in the truth, but what you do with the truth once you have it.” What the detective encounters is the lack of the overall support for the investigation by the family, which could be a sign that a relative was involved in the untimely demise of Harlan Thrombey. Every family member has a motive because Harlan was holding the majority of the wealth due to his success as a writer, and everyone depended on him for their livelihood.

Throughout the movie, the viewers discover that Harlan knew of his inevitable death because his caretaker, Martha Cabrera, played by Ana de Armas, mistakenly administered the wrong dose of medicine. To protect the young woman, Thrombey plans his death to ensure that no one would suspect Martha. However, in a twisted turn of events, it is revealed that another member of the family made sure that Martha would make a mistake without wanting to. Thus, from seemingly involuntary manslaughter, the death of Harlan turns into a premeditated murder, and it is the job of Benoit Blanc to discover what had really happened to Harlan.

The Unpredictable Story

The first reason why Knives Out is considered a remarkable movie that refers to its unpredictable plot (“Synopsis”). Early into the film, the viewers see what happened to Harlan and consider his caretaker Martha to be the one responsible for the unintentional but deadly mistake. The relationship between Harlan and Martha has always been built on trust, and Thrombey appreciated the hard work and dedication exhibited by his caretaker.

Harlan wanted to protect Martha because he understood that he was already an older man whose end was near, and the mistake that the gild had made was genuinely unintentional. Moreover, Martha was a close friend of Harlan, and unlike his relatives, she cared about his well-being. What is interesting about the plot is that Martha understood her guilt but was instructed by Harlan to keep what had happened to herself.

Throughout the movie, Martha experiences sincere regret for what had occurred and decides to reveal her secret to Hugh Ransom Drysdale, played by Chris Evans. Compared to the rest of the family, Hugh seems the most sensible, and he decides to help Martha. When it becomes known that Harlan passed all of his wealth to Martha, the entire family is devastated, apart from Hugh, who seems to determined to make sure that none of his family members get the money or the house. The main plot twist is that it appears that Ransom had known about the inheritance going to Martha prior to Harlan’s death.

It was him who switched Martha’s medication that she was administering to Harlan so that it was she who killed the man. Hugh did so because if Martha was found guilty of murder, she could not get the inheritance that was intended for her. In the end, Benoit Blanc uncovers the truth that Hugh Ransom Drysdale was responsible for the death of Harlan while Martha is free to live her life away from the annoying Thrombey family.

The Cinematography

Another reason to love Knives Out is the movie’s cinematography. With the help of Steve Yedlin, who also worked on the Stars Wars franchise, the movie received a unique flare that is both modern and traditional. The characteristics of classic whodunnit movies, such as characters leaning out of darkness to create suspense, are widely seen in the film. The mansion, in which the main events of the plot were occurring, is also unique and characterized by “the natural, steely, winter window light,” which was essential for creating the desired gloomy atmosphere (Frazer). Even the way in which the main characters were dressed added to the unique style of the movie.

The costumes mainly consist of cozy knitwear, dark tones in outerwear, and a natural color palette. Since the events of the plot are taking place in winter, the filmmakers needed to create a sense of comfort associated with the winter style despite the suspenseful storyline (Weinberg). Moreover, the decorations of the mansion also contributed to the overall style of the movie. While the events are set in modern times when everyone in the family has expensive gadgets and cares, the mansion is there to offset the contemporary context. Decorated in rich and dark tones, from paintings to furniture, the house reminds the viewers of the past and is a perfect setting for a crime drama.

The Dysfunctional Family

The movie sheds light on the negative side of family relationships, which is another important point to mention. While no family could be considered ideal, the family of the Thrombeys is an example of how one should never treat their relatives. Instead of worrying about the death of their patriarch, a talented man who taught them about the value of hard work, most of the members are concerned with whether they would get the inheritance. For example, Walt Thrombey, Harlan’s son, played by Michael Shannon, has always relied on his father because of the publishing company: “Yes. It’s my, it’s our, it’s the family’s publishing company.

Dad trusts me to run it. Thirty languages, over eighty million copies sold. A real legacy. You guys fans?” With Harlan gone, the millions owned by the Thrombeys would be divided between family members so they can live a lavish lifestyle of which the patriarch often disapproved. The detective has to meet each member of the dysfunctional Thrombey family and listen to their version of events to uncover the truth in the end.

When the family eventually learns that Martha was entitled to all of the money, they are devastated and try to convince her that they were the ones who needed to inherit property and the finances. They are all bitter and annoyed at each other, showing how shallow they were. They would throw each other under the bus in front of the detective who investigated the death of Harlan. Overall, the Thrombeys is a perfect representation of how one should not act during the family crisis. This aspect of the movie teaches the audience to be understanding and supportive of each other during hard times, which is not the takeaway that everyone expects from a crime investigation movie.

The Downsides

Searching for a downside in Knives Up was hard; however, it is essential to mention that the sudden change in location in the second part of the movie was not the best move that the filmmakers could have made. One of my friends noticed that the plot had been suddenly moved away from Harlan’s mansion and the family with memorable characters and focuses on finding the blackmailer who threatened to expose Martha for what she had done. While the move seems to be necessary to proceed with the story. However, the tension of the murder mystery was reduced because the viewers were no longer in the company of the Thrombey family.

It would have been more interesting if the events continued at the mansion to uncover some hidden pathways or other secrets that the house could hold. After all, the estate was owned by a crime fiction writer, and the tensions between characters that were taking place inside of the house were captivating. Overall, moving the storyline away from the mansion removed the suspense from the movie and turned it into a regular whodunit without the old-time flair that the house was offering.

Concluding Remarks

To conclude, Knives Out is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys movies overall. One does not have to be a particular fan of murder mysteries to like the plot or connect to the characters. In my opinion, the goal of the filmmakers was not only to make a stylish movie with unexpected plot twists but also to shed light on unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships within families. In many ways, the character of Benoit Blanc was inserted into the storyline to reveal the problems that the Thrombeys had despite putting the façade of a wealthy and successful family. Martha was a victim of circumstances that should not have been involved in the family matters.

However, her character served as a reagent paper to reveal the true nature of the Thrombeys and what they were capable of to get the inheritance. Overall, Knives Out is a brilliant film and teaches us a lot about the dark side of human relationships.

Works Cited

Frazer, Bryant. “Steve Yedlin, ASC, on Controlling the Look of Mystery Movie Knives Out.” Studio Daily. 2019. Web.

Synopsis.” Knives Out, 2019. Web.

Weinberg, Lindsay. “How the ‘Knives Out’ Costume Designer Chose Chris Evans’ Perfect Sweater.” Hollywood Reporter. 2019. Web.

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