Knives Out is fantastic: review from a different perspective

Submitted by madman_trombonist t3_zzifhb in movies

Hot take, I know. But I recently saw the first Knives Out and it’s the greatest murder mystery film I’ve ever seen. And get this: I knew the final twist. I had been spoiled and I knew Chris Evans’ character was the killer. And despite this, the movie kept me on the edge of my seat. The endless plot details were excellently constructed, and knowing the ending didn’t make the journey any less exhilarating and tense. Even in the final scene where everything is tied together, I was STILL on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The acting throughout is phenomenal, with my highest praise going to Ana de Armas and, of course, Daniel Craig. All the rest of the actors were excellent too. Think Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, but an entire cast. I loved hating every single member of the family. The set design is immaculate, the score is wonderfully mysterious, and Rian Johnson’s directing is fabulous. I’m beside myself with frustration that it took me this long to experience this film. I will be watching Glass Onion in the very near future.

PS: if you told me a few days ago that a film’s plot is dependent on the sentence “what were the overheard words of the N*zi child masturbating in the bathroom,” spoken by Daniel Craig in a Foghorn Leghorn voice, I would have laughed in you face.

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Desperate-Willow239 t1_j2bt9im wrote

I think Knives Out was significantly better than Glass Onion.(a different league)

The latter is well edited and shot ,but the writing ,mystery and conclusion are shaky and contrived(although Janelle Monae was incredible)

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SetentaeBolg t1_j2bvc9d wrote

I have to reluctantly agree. Glass Onion was decent fun but essentially absurd and lacking the kind of murderous credibility that is maintained throughout the first film.

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Desperate-Willow239 t1_j2bzh2g wrote

Still cheering for this series and I hope they continue with more movies.

I hope the next one is more grounded and the cast has a better sense of connectedness.

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Ionlypostwhenstoned0 t1_j2d8db3 wrote

Although I really like Glass Onion I can see why people don’t. This feels looser but it’s also a lot more on the comedy side of things. I like that the decision for the tonal shift was deliberate and I’m looking forward to the next one to see where he takes it.

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Original_Employee621 t1_j2f4fmd wrote

The entire point of a Glass Onion is making something simple look complex and difficult. So of course the movie has the stupidest motherfucker as the killer, and makes it complex by having the murder be so stupid no one even thinks he is that stupid.

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tacoman333 t1_j2fap6y wrote

I think they are about equal. Glass Onion did the thing I've always wanted to see in a well done murder mystery: >!The murderer is the most obvious suspect. Most murder mysteries you can treat like a scooby doo episode where the suspicious gardener with an eye patch who is always sneaking around is never the culprit and that makes them very predictable. Glass Onion was a refreshing change from that tired formula.!<

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Mrevilman t1_j2frs72 wrote

It's never the person you most suspect. It's also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore, I know the killer to be Phyllis, a.k.a. Beatrix Bourbon, the person I most medium suspect

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YouandWhoseArmy t1_j2cuup5 wrote

As an entry in a series glass onion was an enjoyable enough romp.

I agree though, it doesn’t feel in the same league as knives out.

And am I crazy or does every Netflix movie have shots that look ridiculously cheap?

I’m wondering if I would compare the quality of glass onion as something like bullet train (glass onion) compared to snatch or lock stock. (Knives outs). Bullet train was enjoyable enough but clearly inspired by something better. Train/Onion also both fell apart and got less interesting as their plots resolved.

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ChasetheElectricPuma t1_j2bupz0 wrote

She definitely improved her acting chops in this film. Her performance in Antebellum didn't impress me that much.

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A_Symptom_of_Life t1_j2bw7xo wrote

I'll never forget the adlibbed "“You had sex with my grandpa, you dirty anchor baby!” line!

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Vanillibeen t1_j2cfxqd wrote

My favorite line is "I will not eat one iota of shit!"

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Mr628 t1_j2cov9f wrote

The first one is much better than the second. I do think Glass Onion was good, but it got way too whacky and it dragged so much in the middle. A bit predictable as well.

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cmmosher t1_j2bsidb wrote

I have watched it several times and it holds up. A good parody of Agatha Christie stories that respects what it's poking fun at. The sequel is a lot of fun.

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DemonicBird t1_j2cqbas wrote

The issue with glass onion is there is no subversion of the mystery. It's pretty much the guy you expect 30 mins into the movie is THE GUY. There's no ultimate like "ha! Got you!" Moment by a super secretive killer.

In knives out, you do not know who it is until it is literally told to you or you pick up on shit super early into the film. There's also like a subplot of saving those people in the laundromat and the firebombing that makes the mystery seem much much more grand than it really is.

I think honestly, COVID really fucked with glass onion and I will give it a pass. Hopefully the next movie is better.

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mirror_number t1_j2d65dn wrote

I'm always surprised by people saying this. First of all, I've seen people have the exact same complaint about Knives Out - that it was obvious who the killer was from the outset. I don't necessarily agree but I guess with only so many suspects, enough people are going to shout at the screen "He did it!" and be right, and the same will be true of Glass Onion. But in Glass Onion >!the film sets Miles Bron up as the victim with the murder mystery game (plus maybe my familiarity with The Last of Sheila and the fact this film was inspired by it meant I assumed it would follow the same set up as to who the victim was), and how could you know he was the killer half an hour in when a murder, as far as the audience knows, hasn't even happened at that point? And when a murder does happen, it's made to look like Bron was the intended target!<

I guess it depends on how you go into the film. It feels to me, and I may be wrong here, that a lot of people who didn't enjoy the film went into it with an adversarial relationship, treating it as something to outsmart, not letting its tricks work on them. Sure you might figure out the mystery by intentionally disregarding what the film is telling you, but clearly it will leave you unsatisfied. Maybe that's a sign its tricks are poorly crafted, but (and this is obviously anecdotal so make of it what you will) I've watched it with five other people now and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. None of us guessed who it would be or found the solution unsatisfying, which I think is pretty impressive since it's deliberately unsatisfying lol.

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DemonicBird t1_j2dlpfl wrote

The most giveaway thing is the name itself. When Benoit goes up to talk to miles he sees the illusionary glass onion in his office and he remarks about it. The glass onion means that the killer was in plain sight the whole time Benoit just had to peel the layers of an already transparent onion.

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thelandsman55 t1_j2dsih8 wrote

What are you even talking about? Miles is the last person we meet and basically every character is in plain sight the entire time besides Janelle Monae.

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Cliqey t1_j2e24jq wrote

It’s also incredibly easy for bad faith detractors to simply lie and say “garbage, I knew who done it the whole time.” I know, I know, liars on the anonymous internet!? But by golly it happens. And unfortunately that also makes it very easy to misattribute any negative appraisal as bad faith.

Would be much better if people didn’t go around treating their subjective perspectives and experiences as objective absolute truths.

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omnilynx t1_j2eqlca wrote

Not just in bad faith, either. Psychology is weird. People can have half-formed hunches that multiple characters did it, and then only remember the hunch that panned out, claiming (and really believing) they "knew" who it was all along.

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Electronic_Impact t1_j2bs44s wrote

I recommend knives out to everyone with a sense of humor. Great movie, great cast, great mystery and fun.

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eatacookie111 t1_j2c2cqv wrote

Do I need to watch the 1st one? I’m 15 minutes in and have no idea what’s going on.

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TraparCyclone t1_j2cbqvt wrote

No. They are completely stand alone. There’s not even a single reference to the first film.

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BootsyBootsyBoom t1_j2cwz1r wrote

There is one reference, but you don't lose much from not knowing it. Blanc tells Bron that he knows from personal experience not to mess with anonymous invitations, which is how he got involved in the Thrombey case.

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dfsmitty0711 t1_j2drqso wrote

I think that line is so interesting because we learn later that Blanc's invitation to Bron's island wasn't anonymous at all. So while he's telling the truth, in his experience anonymous invitations are bad, he's using it to lie to Bron. Bron would've been better off heeding Blanc's warning.

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e430doug t1_j2cgzjj wrote

I really tried to like Knives Out. I liked the idea and I’m a fan of the actors. It felt “under-directed”. The acting was underwhelming. I thought the accent of the detective was cringeworthy. I understand that this is a minority point of view.

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HEHEHO2022 t1_j2e2mqc wrote

how was it under directed in your eyes. it was directed perfectly.

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Economy-Inspector-23 t1_j2eextb wrote

I found it supremely overrated. To me the dialog was bad, like unbelievably cringe, no one talks like anyone in this movie.

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JMPesce t1_j2fdc7k wrote

People in whodunits do talk like that though, it's definitely a genre film in the best sense of the word.

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Economy-Inspector-23 t1_j2fsqr0 wrote

I never heard any dialog like this that in Manhunter, The Nice Guys, Hateful 8, Chinatown, Prisoners, Zodiac, Gone Girl….

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blackcatmystery t1_j2cfuxo wrote

I think Murder Mystery is WAY better than Knives Out and Glass Onion.

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Economy-Inspector-23 t1_j2eepxm wrote

I found it supremely overrated. I wonder how many murder mystery movies you’ve seen? Manhunter, Chinatown, Rear Window, North By Northwest, The Fugitive, Zodiac, Silence of the Lambs….

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Electronic-Ad-5590 t1_j2fk9cn wrote

Thanks, I was planning on watching the movie some time soon and now I can't because you spoiled for me who the murderer is, so now it's pointless 🥲. And yes, I know you attached the Spoiler flair to your post bust sometimes people just don't notice it and then they get screwed

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madman_trombonist OP t1_j2fl1o2 wrote

Sorry man :( I added the flair, that’s all I could have done

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Electronic-Ad-5590 t1_j2fl95p wrote

No worries, man. I know you meant well, it's just really frustrating. BTW . Happy New Year!

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yanek-Ardous t1_j2ftu0i wrote

Rian Johnson is a talentless scrotum who can shove an entire bag of smegma covered dicks into his mouth.

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