Review of Knives Out (2019) by Compi24 — 03 Dec 2019

Rian Johnson follows up his hotly contested "Last Jedi" with the smaller, yet undeniably more efficient and enjoyable "Knives Out," a "murder mystery" that lets you know very quickly what it's trying to do to the sub-genre, the conventions therein, and the audience's understanding of all of the above.

As was often present in the unquestionably joyous conversation surrounding his "Star Wars" flick, Rian Johnson's affinity for "subverting expectations" can sometimes spell trouble for moviegoers.

This time around, though, I feel that each development and event is more warranted, considering the refreshingly original, "preconceived-notion-less" narrative in play. Implementing each twist only minutes after meeting this world and these characters makes total sense.

Show the audience what they're in for early -- when they're impressionable -- and you have a better shot at keeping them along for the ride. And, man, what a ride it is. As far as sequences of events go, simply on paper, this has to be one of the most intricately constructed narratives of the year.

And, as a screenplay, it's still particularly enthralling, even if it ventures a bit too far into "I'm a movie that takes place in the current year" land from time to time. In short, "Knives Out" is a massive pendulum swing in the right direction for me when it comes to Rian Johnson and the movies I want to see him craft.