'Knives out' movie review

Knives out poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.”

— IMDB

***WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD ***

Renowned novelist Harlon Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his estate after his 85th birthday party. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) a famous private detective is mysteriously hired to investigate the murder. Interviewing Thrombey’s kooky family one by one he is drawn into a whodunit where there are multiple suspects.

That last part is where I had the biggest problem with ‘Knives out’ - the ‘whodunit’ aspect - it’s pretty clear early on what happened in the ‘murder’. In fact the reveal is shown fairly early so you are essentially there to view how it all comes together. It’s whether you find this compelling or not will ultimately determine your enjoyment of the movie.

Marta (Ana de Armas) is a nurse who is taking care of Harlon, during one of their nightly routines Marta administers a mega dose of Morphine accidentally to Harlon. In her ensuing panic Harlon concocts a convoluted plan to try to save her from being a suspect. As a final act he slits his own throat before the morphine can take hold. Marta, now free from suspicion, is unwittingly roped into being Benoit Blanc’s sidekick as he investigates the murder. In the process she must try to hide herself as a suspect to protect her immigrant mother from deportation.

Ensemble pieces are notoriously difficult to get right ensuring every player gets his or her portion of run time. In this regard ‘Knives out’ fails. Personally, I felt a few of the players were criminally underused. Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson we’re given short shrift - never really considered suspects - only there to play out an infidelity side plot that really doesn’t go anywhere. Michael Shannon (Walt Thromby) Changes character on a whim to suit a plot device and make him seem more evil than he actually is. The other side characters we don’t really know or care about including the actual ‘real’ detectives investigating the murder itself.

As soon as Ransom (Chris Evens) appears on screen you know he is the murderer. Maybe it was the way he decided to play his character or perhaps the fact that the kooky grandmother whispers ‘Ransom you’re back again’ during the night of the murder was a bit of a giveaway. It is also pretty obvious that vials of morphine had been switched out from the get go. So it essentially becomes more about ‘why’ than ‘who’.

That is answered when we learn that Marta has been given all of Harlon’s fortune including the family estate. The family an unlikable bunch of self aggrandising misfits attuned to their own self importance. Wealth and prestige their undoing, they plot to have the will overturned by any means necessary.

At 2 hours 10 minutes Knives out is a little on the long side. Not really a ‘whodunit’ more a play on a Poirot mystery where the mystery part is somewhat jettisoned in favour of mildly entertaining romp with eccentric characters. Mention must be given to Danial Craig (Benuit Blanc) who uses an over the top southern accent that quickly becomes irritating to the point where it takes you out of the movie.

Since the movie is billed as a ‘whodunit’, I personally think it failed on that score. Plot contrivances used then forgotten: Dogs barking for only one person, noisy staircase, Granny with dementia, Marta’s ability to feel viscosity of morphine etc etc

Not that I hated the movie, I didn’t. It’s what I would term a Sunday afternoon picture: easily forgettable and just there to pass the time. It had potential to be interesting but in the end it was decidedly ‘Meh’.

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Mission Impossible: Fallout review

movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.”

— imdb

***SPOILERS AHEAD ***

Opening with a familiar setup that is now a firm part of the mission impossible structure, Ethan Hunt must try to rescue stolen plutonium from an arms dealer hell bent on selling it on to a militant splinter group which has parted ways with 'the syndicate'. The mission goes wrong and Ethan Hunt must try to recover the stolen plutonium, risking the lives of his IMF crew and his ex wife.

Filled with spectacular action from the word go it is a roller coaster ride of thrills and action. Darker in tone and cinematography than the previous instalments it relies on the central premise that Ethan Hunt would happily sacrifice the world to save a person close to him. With this firmly in place Filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie sets up obstacle after obstacle with this very purpose in mind.

Its a clever premise but ironically I found the writing to be the weakest part of the storytelling. At times the plot is sacrificed in pursuit of an action sequence. Then again why are we watching these movies if not for the action and the spectacle? When the action beats rise and are handled with such fervour the plot becomes secondary anyway so maybe its best not to complain too much. But I personally felt that there was something missing. With all the explosive bravura on display do we really care about any of the characters and is that even necessary anymore?

But I digress, having the longest run time of all of the mission movies I did feel it went on a little to long. No to say that it was boring. No it was never boring. It just lacked a little pizzazz when they slow down enough to have a conversation with each other. But this is a very minor complaint. All in all the setup is interesting enough to pull you along for the ride.

At first I found Henry Cavill's character August Walker a nice introduction, he is introduced as the 'tip of the spear' someone who will get the job done no matter the cost - but as the movie went on he became a less interesting character and ultimately villain. The finale where two helicopters hang precariously over a cliff edge does echo a movie like 'Cliffhanger' where the hero and villain battle inside as the helicopter slips further and further down to the rocky depths below. Then again you are always going to have comparisons to other movies and it is still an enjoyable action sequence nevertheless.

I will, however, urge you not to look at the trailer. I felt that it gives away the twist in the movie. But having said that the twist is pretty obvious from the get go so maybe that doesn't matter too much. The marketing is selling the movie based upon the action quota and very little about the plot as they clearly paint Henry Cavill as the villain in them. 

All in all Mission impossible: Fallout is an enjoyable movie best viewed in a cinema with the largest screen to fully appreciate the scale of the action.

**** out of **** 

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