Whodunnit? Haven't a clue!

Kaleidoscope's latest is on Lionsgate's & Media Rights Capital's production of "Knives Out".  Written & directed by Rian Johnson, the movie stars Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, & Christopher Plummer.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 2 hr., 10 min.

The plot opens with mystery writer Harlen Thrombey (Plummer) inviting his family to celebrate his 85th birthday at his rural mansion.  Transition to the next morning when Harlen's housekeeper finds his body; he is dead from slitting his throat in an apparent suicide. .Detective Lieutenant Elliot (Stanfield), a highway patrol officer, & private investigator Benoit Blanc (Craig) have come to the mansion to interview each of the family members: daughter Linda (Curtis); her husband Richard (Johnson); son Walt (Shannon); Linda's & Richard's son Ransom (Evans); daughter-in-law Joni (Collette); Harlan's nurse Marta (de Armas); & other members.  It is learned that Blanc has been hired by an anonymous individual.  To reveal any more of this clever whodunnit's narrative would be a disservice, dear reader, so...please follow me to the analysis.

I was very impressed with writer/director Johnson's 3 "Breaking Bad episodes during that seminal series's run: 'Fly', '51', & 'Ozymandias'.  I was very disappointed with Johnson's "Star Wars" installment, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"; it suffered from what I call 'Harry Potter'--itis; i.e., good 1st & 3rd acts, a horrible & boring middle act.  Thankfully, Johnson has completely redeemed himself with this new outing.  Inspired by Agatha Christie's  "Murder on the Orient Express" & its detective Hercule Poirot and Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (the 1st modern detective story) & its detective C. Auguste Dupin, Johnson has crafted an intricate, thoroughly involving murder mystery that is ultimately solved by the film's sly & wily detective Blanc.  Johnson's direction gives ample time to each star, especially when they are sitting in the 'hot seat' (framed by a spiral of knives in the background) where they are being questioned.  The transitions among the relatives & questioners are seamless &, while there is much dialogue provided in the script, the action never lags.  The screenplay is deft, nimble, & intelligent, sprinkling clues, impishly funny lines, & artful cues throughout.  The acting is flawless.  Craig is superb as the calculating & foxy detective, complete with a Southern accent that belies his intelligence.  One anxiously looks forward to April as Craig has his 5th turn as James Bond in "No Time to Die".  De Armas is excellent as the ordinary heroine caught up in extraordinary circumstances--the Macguffin used in numerous Hitchcock films.  Her natural beauty is subdued here as she depicts an innocent nurse who is manipulated by various members of the Thrombey family.  De Armas's skill is in maintaining Marta's dignity throughout the machinations of the plot & the other characters' duplicity.  Again, one anxiously looks forward to this April as de Armas co-stars with Craig in "No Time to Die".  Curtis, Shannon, Collette, Evans (completely shedding his Capt. America persona), Johnson, Stanfield, & Plummer are consummate pros who marvelously deliver throughout the film.  Nathan Johnson's score is mystery-suitable; however, there is nothing that makes it stand out--a Bernard Herrmann he is not.  Bob Ducsay's editing & Steve Yedlin's cinematography are competent, if uninspired.  They serve Johnson's vision without standing out.

I give "Knives Out" 9 out of 10 nuggets.  This is an intricate film that delivers on all levels.  If you desire a creative, intelligent film with a great narrative and terrific acting & dialogue, rush to your local cineplex for a wonderful 2 hours at the movies!