A thrilling interpretation of the classic whodunnit: Review of ‘Knives Out’
Murder-mysteries have captured the world’s imagination since the release of the now-iconic Sherlock Holmes series, with the detective genre intriguing the readers’ interest. The genre has shifted in its style over the decades, moving from a detective that is calm, analytical, and approaches mysteries like a puzzle, to a more ‘hardboiled’ tradition, with a detective that is more flawed, more emotional, and in constant danger of losing his life before the puzzle can be solved. Todorov (294) discusses the divergence of these streams of detective stories, particularly with regards to the story.
There are two separate stories that are contained within the murder mystery — one of the crime, and one of the detective uncovering the one behind the crime. In the earlier tradition (one followed by Agatha Christie as well), the novel takes place after the crime, and follows the story of the crime being solved — the reader follows the detective (the iconic Hercule Poirot, for example), a calculating, rational man who is seemingly one step ahead of everyone else, picking clues up along the way, with a tidy, neat end. The detective’s life is never at stake, and the reader does not know much about the detective themselves. The second tradition, one followed by later authors like Raymond Chandler, places the detective right in the middle of the action — the crime is ongoing, the investigation gets messy, the detective’s very life is in danger. Here, the two stories are combined into one thrilling tale, where action and suspense are placed above the excitement of solving a riddle. The ‘whodunit’ genre has changed over the decades, with Knives Out acting as an exciting throwback to the best features of the Golden Age of detective fiction, while still putting a fun, modern twist to the tale.
Knives Out is more reminiscent of the earlier tradition, following a classic Agatha Christie novel, albeit with a few twists to the stoic detective figure. Detective Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) is a smooth-talking figure who is initially portrayed as competent and the one that holds all the cards, only for him to lose himself in the mystery. The movie, in my opinion, pokes fun at the stoic detective figure, placing Det. Blanc as a man who attempts to be sane and rational but visibly struggles to do so. The film pays homage to the older style of detective fiction — complete with the old country house, the dinner the night before the murder, and the set number of suspects all in the same space, while still keeping the story captivating enough to keep fans on their toes.
*WARNING: Spoilers below. For a more detailed review, keep reading*
The film is set in an old country house and revolves around the murder of the patriarch in the film — Mr Harlan Thrombey, a popular murder-mystery writer. His body was discovered by the housekeeper, Fran, with a slit throat in the office in the attic, the morning after his 85th birthday party (though he did die from a slit throat, the blood splatter analysis pointed to a suicide — it would have been difficult for such a pattern to come up if someone else did the deed). One week later, after the funeral and on the day of the memorial, a police officer, state trooper, and private investigator begin their queries into the crime; though the police believe that it was a suicide, a PI was anonymously hired to further investigate the crime.
Daniel Craig’s performance as PI Benoit Blanc (a man with a French name and a jarring Southern accent) was, in turn, amusing and riveting throughout the movie. The suspects include those who attended Harlan’s birthday party last night, boiling down to his children, Linda (and her husband, Richard) and Walt, his daughter-in-law, Joni, Linda’s son, Ransom, Joni’s daughter, Meg, and Walt’s son, Jacob, along with Fran, and Harlan’s personal nurse, Marta Cabrera. Det. Blanc immediately takes a shine to Marta, particularly because of Marta’s unique trait — she pukes every time she tells a lie.
The initial truth is revealed early on in the film — Marta accidentally injects Harlan with 100 mg of morphine, instead of heart medication, resulting in Harlan dying via a morphine overdose. However, Harlan goes peacefully, refusing to call an ambulance, and formulates a plan for Marta to escape unscathed, and the police to rule the death a suicide (by slitting his own throat). Through the conversations that Det Blanc has with each family member, it comes to light that each one had some sort of issue with Harlan, and it is later revealed that Harlan planned to write all of them out of his will. Marta acts as Det Blanc’s confidante, being the only one who was close to Harlan without ripping him off (in Joni’s case), arguing with him (like Ransom), or fighting with him about business (like Walt). Blanc continues his investigation with Marta subtly manipulating details to keep him off the scent, pairing up with Ransom (a stunning performance by Chris Evans) who, upon hearing the truth, convinces her to continue on this trajectory and keep the detective off her tail.
The reading of the will serves as another intriguing plot point — it is discovered that Harlan leaves all his earthly possessions (including his country house, his successful publishing company, and 60 million dollars) to Marta, essentially leaving the family penniless. Furious, the family attempts to blame Marta for the murder (revoking her right to the inheritance under the ‘slayer statute’), while also bullying her for the murder. Ransom is the only one in her corner, aiming to screw the family over while getting his cut by protecting Marta. The suspense mounts when we realise that someone is blackmailing Marta with a toxicology report, with Marta eventually stumbling into a room where Fran lay dying, poisoned with an overdose of morphine. Calling 911, Fran is hospitalised, and suspicion mounts.
The film all comes to a head when Ransom is arrested by the police after an intense car chase; though Marta was the one trying to get away, Blanc assumes Ransom forced her to drive, and takes him into custody. Tensions escalate when it is eventually realised that Ransom was the mastermind behind this plan — upon discovering that he was to be written out of the will and Marta would gain everything, he switches the labels on Harlan’s medicine bottles, with the idea of Marta overdosing him, and secure his ‘rightful’ inheritance. However, Marta inadvertently gives him the right medicine (though the bottle was labelled ‘morphine’, she accidentally switches his switcheroo), and Ransom is stuck yet again. After his eventual arrest, he ‘confesses’ Marta’s crimes and stays safe. During the investigation, however, Blanc accuses Ransom of being the brains behind the entire event, and Marta falsely claims that Fran is alive. Upon hearing that his plan might fail, Ransom inadvertently confesses to his crime by lashing out at Marta; though there is no written confession, the state trooper records his words. The film comes to a thrilling end with Ransom grabbing a knife and attempting to stab Marta, only to realise that it was a trick knife — his last words were, “well, shit.”, an apt conclusion. Having watched this film with my cousins, our collective gasp upon hearing Ransom’s confession is reminiscent of the twists and turns of a classic Christie novel, albeit one far lighter in tone.
Craig’s performance as Benoit Blanc is oddly reminiscent of Christie’s Hercule Poirot, with a little less rationale and a lot more charm, staying memorable with an unplaceable Southern drawl (Ransom — in my opinion, accurately and hilarously — calls it a ‘contrite Foghorn Leghorn draawwll’) and an oversized ego. Johnson is able to rework the classic whodunnit into something fresh while still staying true to its roots — complete with the mansion in the forest, the family drama, and the unforgettable detective with a nose out for the truth. With slight subversions to keep the film interesting, Johnson plays with the genre without devolving into a parody, walking a fine line between comedy and drama. Chris Evan’s performance as Ransom, too, is noticeable (a fun sight to see was Ransom’s hatred of dogs, knowing full well that Evans has immense love for his own furry friend); he portrays the rich-kid asshole well, while still seeming sympathetic to Marta; his manipulation of Marta hit the audience hard — after all, who doesn’t love a sympathetic bad boy, especially when the only thing they want is to stick it to the family?
The film is, in all respects, an enjoyable watch — from the stunning sets, including a country mansion filled with quirky memorabilia, to the costume design (looking at you, Evans), to the acting and direction. This modern whodunnit is a wonderful calling to the golden age of detective fiction, with light twists that help make the movie stand on its own.
References:
Todorov, Tzvetan. “Typology of Detective Fiction”. Crime and Media. Pp 291–301. 1966. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337976881_The_Typology_of_Detective_Fiction_1966.
Knives Out. Directed by Rian Johnson, performances by Daniel Craig and Chris Evans, Lionsgate Productions. 2019.
