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Knives Out Movie Review

“I suspect foul play.” - Benoit Blanc
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Knives Out is a murder mystery directed by Rian Johnson, and starring Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Jaeden Lieberher, Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Ana de Armas, and Christopher Plummer.  When famous mystery writer Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his own mansion on the night of a family get-together, the police are brought in to find out which one of his family members committed the crime, and why.
 Knives Out is a film that is full of surprises.  For one, the acting is magnificent.  Almost every single cast member kills it here, (no pun intended.)  I especially loved Daniel Craig’s performance, and I also think that this film is yet another reason why people should be familiar with the name Lakeith Stanfield.  This man has a plethora of talent, and he has shown this ever since his film debut in the 2013 movie Short Term 12.  Stanfield is one of the best up-and-coming actors of today’s era, and he is severely underrated in my opinion.
The camerawork and lighting are beautiful, and reminded me greatly of a film released earlier in the year called Ready Or Not.  The music is tense and gripping, and is made up of mostly string instruments. The locations and sets are gorgeous, and the mansion itself is magnificent to look at. 
The pacing is steady and solid, and the way the film lets you peek at possibilities of what could’ve happened is very cool.  The film is filled to the brim with humor, and there were many lines that made me chuckle.  The movie is also chock full of suspense, intrigue, and tons of twists.  Said twists are unpredictable, and keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the film.  
In terms of flaws I noticed with the film, there is a very large exposition dump at the end, and it gives away too much information at once, which caused me a little bit of confusion.  I also thought that the character of Trooper Wagner was a little annoying, and he got on my nerves a little bit.  Overall though, I really enjoyed Knives Out, and I think that it’s a perfectly watchable film that is both out of the box, and easily accessible at the same time.
Rating: PG-13
Grade: B+

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