This is a film that wasn’t on my radar at all and I noticed it only when our cinephile friend mentioned that it has been earning great reviews. It has an ensemble cast made up of some big names, but as a non-franchise film in a genre that is now very unpopular, it seems doomed to mediocrity. Yet it is has been doing very well and it just might be popular enough to spark a revival in the much neglected murder mystery genre.

Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead in his mansion one morning, his throat cut seemingly by his own hand. Along with the police, private detective Benoit Blanc takes an interest in the case though he himself does not know who hired him. They determine that the night before Harlan’s death, his family held a dinner party to celebrate his birthday. Though they try to hide it, his grandson, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and youngest son all had arguments with him on that day. Though the details vary, money and inheritance lie at the root of the problems. Blanc focuses his efforts on Marta Cabreras, Harlan’s nurse, who seems above suspicion because she was seen leaving the house while Harlan was still alive and she has a psychological tic whereby lying causes her to vomit uncontrollably.

This was both written and directed by Rian Johnson and I am in awe both of the airtight script and the perfectly calibrated direction. Just about everything about the execution here is perfect and the scenes are just so satisfying to watch. This is an old-fashioned murder mystery played completely straight with no cheats, no cheap tricks, characters who behave reasonably and believable motivations and everything laid out clearly and fairly for the audience. Watching this made me realize how much I’ve missed a well done film in this genre. The only weakness is that the main villain seems to have somehow accomplished a great deal offscreen in a relatively short amount of time but it’s not too far-fetched. I do especially love that Cabreras, being a reasonable person, doesn’t try to hide the truth for too long once she realizes how the stakes are getting out of hand. I really hate it in fiction when characters keep things to themselves to a ridiculous extent just in order to keep the plot going so it’s great to see Johnson nip that in the bud.

Another inspired touch is how well it handles the class divide and the issue of racism. None of the family members for example seems to be able to properly remember which South American country Marta’s family is from. It is so delicious that the son of one branch of the family is an online alt-right troll while the daughter of another branch, Meg, is enrolled in college doing liberal arts which naturally the burgeoning Nazi calls SJW studies. She is also friendly and sympathetic to Marta, speaking up for example when the police call her the help. Most films stop there yet what I love with this script is that Johnson goes one level further. Meg claims that she considers Marta part of the family but when the tables are turned and Marta in a position of power over her and offers to take care of her instead, it is evident how uncomfortable she becomes. I note that this sophisticated dissection of societal attitudes is something that American films excel at whereas Asian films are usually content to treat them only at the most superficial level.

Given the limited scope of its ambition and emotional impact of the genre, I wouldn’t expect Knives Out to garner too many awards. Still it’s great that so many people seem to love it and it is selling so well. I think it’s an intelligent, fantastically put together film and it would be amazing if it sparked a revival in the murder mystery genre. I thought Johnson’s The Last Jedi was imperfect but it was at least highly original and interesting. This film confirms that he is a masterful artist when set loose to develop his own material rather than being constrained by the limitations of an established franchise and I look forward to more of his work.