Knives Out is a 2019 mystery film written, directed, and produced by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman. It follows a master detective as he investigates the death of a wealthy, dysfunctional family’s patriarch. Johnson developed the basic idea for Knives Out in 2005 and decided to make the film after completing Looper in 2012. He could not write the screenplay until 2017 due to his involvement in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film was announced the following year and sold to distributors at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Filming lasted three months, from October to December of 2018.
About the Movie:
Knives Out had its world premiere in September 2019 at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States by Lionsgate Films on November 27, 2019. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for its screenplay and acting, and grossed $311.3 million worldwide on a budget of $40.5 million. It received nominations in the Musical or Comedy category at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, as well as Best Original Screenplay nominations at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards and the 92nd Academy Awards. It was named one of the ten films of 2019 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.
How does the Plot Begin?
Harlan Thrombey, a wealthy mystery novelist, invites his family to his 85th birthday party at his Massachusetts mansion. Fran, Harlan’s housekeeper, discovers him dead with his throat slit the following day. The police believe Harlan committed suicide, but private detective Benoit Blanc is paid to investigate anonymously. Blanc discovers Harlan’s strained relationships with his various family members: Harlan threatened to expose his son-in-law Richard for cheating on Linda, cut off his daughter-in-law Joni for stealing from him, fired his son Walt from his company, and had an argument with his grandson, Ransom, on the day of his death. Marta Cabrera, Harlan’s nurse, had accidentally mixed up his medications, leading Blanc to believe she had overdosed him with morphine.
How does the Plot End?
Marta dupes Ransom into confessing by falsely claiming Fran has survived and will implicate him; then, she vomits on him, exposing the lie. Enraged, he attacks her with one of Harlan’s knives, which turns out to be a retractable stage knife. The police arrest Ransom after recording his murder confession and witnessing his attempted murder of Marta. Blanc tells Marta that he realized she had a hand in Harlan’s death when he noticed a tiny blood spot on her shoe. Linda discovers a note from Harlan about her husband’s infidelity. Marta watches Ransom’s arrest from her mansion’s balcony, with the rest of the family gathered below.
The Interesting Cast of Knives Out:
Rian Johnson created the concept for Knives Out after making the 2005 film, Brick. Daniel Craig plays private investigator Benoit Blanc. Chris Evans plays Hugh Ransom Drysdale, and Linda and Richard’s son Ana de Armas play Marta Cabrera, Harlan’s nurse. Linda Drysdale, Harlan’s eldest daughter, is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Walt Thrombey, Harlan’s youngest son, is played by Michael Shannon. Don Johnson plays Linda’s husband, Richard Drysdale. Toni Collette plays Joni Thrombey, Harlan’s late son Neil’s widow. Lakeith Stanfield plays Detective Lieutenant Elliott. Meg Thrombey, Joni’s daughter, is played by Katherine Langford. Walt’s son, Jacob Thrombey, is played by Jaeden Martell. Harlan Thrombey, an 85-year-old best-selling crime novelist, is played by Christopher Plummer.
Streaming and Production Details of Knives Out:
The first “Knives Out” world premiered to rave reviews at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received an A- rating from IndieWire senior film critic David Ehrlich, who described it as “a crackling, devious, and hugely satisfying old-school whodunnit with a modern twist.” Lionsgate released the film in November 2019, and it became a word-of-mouth box office sensation, grossing $310 million worldwide. It’s becoming increasingly rare for an original property to break out in such a big way at the box office, so it was no surprise when Johnson and Craig announced plans for “Knives Out 2” in 2020. In addition to its box office success, “Knives Out” has proven to be strong enough to compete for awards during the 2020 Oscar season.
Even before “Knives Out” hit theatres in November 2019, Johnson stated that he always imagined it as a standalone mystery franchise. “I’ll tell you the truth: I had such a great time working with Daniel Craig, and I had so much enjoyed doing this on every tier, from writing it to making it,” Johnson said in September 2019, shortly after the film’s world premiere at TIFF. “I’ve never been interested in doing sequels, but doing more of these with Daniel as his character is not a sequel.” That’s exactly what Agatha Christie did. It’s just starting a new mystery, a new spot, and a new character.
