I actually do have a lot to say about Knives Out, but I want to keep this review short and sweet, because this is one of those movies where I feel like the less you know about it going in, the better. As such, I’m completely steering clear of any spoilers, and just want to give my vague, general impressions of the movie.

Basically, Knives Out is a murder mystery, which we really don’t get to see done too often these days. A wealthy writer is found dead the morning after hosting a birthday party involving his family, and a famous private investigator is anonymously hired to investigate the death, believing that it may have been a murder. So, the P.I. investigates the family and any other friends that were present with the intention of discovering if treachery is afoot. It soon becomes apparent that everyone is a suspect, because they all have motives.

The joy of a movie like this is in the journey, which is why I don’t want to talk about any specifics. It’s really fun getting to know all of the characters and try to figure out who might have been responsible. However, the movie differentiates itself from other movies in the genre by taking things in some really interesting directions, to the point where I wasn’t even sure where things were headed. The movie has an incredible cast, and it’s one of those movies where you try to watch what everyone’s doing so that you don’t miss anything. Once the movie gets to the final “aha!” moment, it’s the kind of thing where everything starts to make sense in hindsight. I think the biggest fun is actually to be had in the dynamics between characters, as this helps the movie become a very different breed after a while. I don’t want to say anything else to preserve the fun surprises in the movie, so I’ll leave it at that. If you have any interest in Knives Out, quit looking into the movie and just go watch it. It’s one of the freshest murder mysteries I’ve seen in a while, and it winded up becoming one of my favorite movies of 2019.

4.5/5