- Year: 2019
- Country: USA
- Director: Rian Johnson
- Starring: Ana De Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans
I’ve always been a fan of Whodunnit films. There’s a murder. Several Suspects. There’s a reason to think any of them could be guilty. You let yourself get carried with the twisted story and the end sometimes unfolds to a satisfying conclusion. Knives Out is indeed a Whodunnit. It just doesn’t follow any conventional rules of the well-established genre. I refuse to say anything about the story, and I’d even go as far as saying don’t even watch the trailer. This is good classic fun. I’d given up on Writer/Director Rian Johnson: his attempt at teen film-noir with “Brick” just felt forced, and his Bruce Willis-is-Timecop “Looper” felt meh more than anything else. But this movie. Ha! This has the kind of personality that I hope turns the dude into a household name. Some of the most fun you’ll have watching this, admittedly, is watching two alpha-males working against typecast: Daniel Craig is no James Bond: he plays an American Hercule Poirot-like detective who may or may not suck at his job. Chris Evans plays a total entitled asshole – and he is so good. I’ve always felt that you can measure the true talent of a dramatic actor by their ability to play comedy. People forget how difficult comedy is because it feels so natural to laugh – that’s why barely any actor/actress has ever won an Oscar for a comedic role. You make someone cry and somehow you broke a barrier between the audience and their souls. Comedy is taken for granted, always has been. One could argue we only started thinking of Robin Williams as a real actor when he started to make us cry a little. Well, Craig has kicked our asses tenfold by playing Bond, the way that Chris Evans really does look like a true to life Captain America, but to see them here is quite the unexpected surprise unless you’ve seen their lesser-known ventures into other genres. Ana De Armas is also a revelation but for me to say why would be already saying too much (you’ll see her next to Craig in the next Bond film, “No Time To Die”). Turn off the lights, put your brain in the freezer and just enjoy this. I wish they made more movies like this.
Cinema Del Peppel 