Puñales por la espalda (Knives Out)

I enjoyed this a lot. Clever, interesting and plausible in its logic. I enjoyed the deception put forth by the characters. I can usually tell where something is going and was genuinely surprised by the hole in the hole of the donut.

Some people might hate the politics of it, but I thought it gave a good dig at both sides while still being fairly liberal. FOX watchers will hate it, which I can see as kind of fueling the negative reviews.

What can also fuel the negative reviews. is all the positive hype about it. Too much enthusiasm from the critics can hurt a movie sometimes. Viewers go into the theater expecting too much.

Things never live up to the hype and this one didn't live up to it for me. But I thought it was still pretty solid and entertaining. I'm not sorry I spent some money on this one.

Great movie that really does have all the hallmarks of the classic murder mystery. The story is fairly typical, there is a shocking death, everyone has their motives, and piece by piece the truth is pulled together by a sleuth, in this case Benoit Blanc (great name), who comes across as a more modern version of Hercule Poirot.

To discuss the story, is to give away the twists and turns it takes, which are delightful. Tension is maintained really well throughout the film as you constantly try to guess and workout where this mystery is going, and even right at the end the twist that comes doesn't do anything to release that tension until literally the last 1min of the movie.

The real joy though is in an all star A-list cast all performing at the top of their game, and working so well together. In many cases playing against type which is a joy to watch. If you're a fan of murder mystery, then this is a much watch!

Generally speaking you tend to find more murder mystery TV shows than movies, this is partially since it's hard to build a complete mystery in the allotted movie running time. This movie builds this murder beautifully by showing the different points of views of the suspects. It has a different take than other movies since it gives the viewer a little too much details mid-movie which leaves you questioning everything to the last minute. The acting was brilliant and I didn't feel the number of characters was overdoing it at any stage.

It was very hard to say no to watching 'Knives Out' and it was one of my most anticipated films since it came out. It was due to being busy and personal problems that stopped me from seeing it sooner. A lot drew me in to watching it. Absolutely love murder mysteries and seeing a lot of comparisons to one of my favourite authors Agatha Christie and the starry cast were reasons enough for me to see it, as well as the great reviews.

Found myself really enjoying, if not quite loving, 'Knives Out'. Can understand why it may not be for all, if one doesn't like seeing and hearing the truth much earlier on than they would expect, and it is easy to see the ridiculing for Daniel Craig's Southern accent (which is admittedly atrocious). Can totally understand its appeal and why it was so positively received though, because to me it was a well made, well acted and cleverly written film that shows that director Rian Johnson does have a great film in him. While not perfect or one of the best films ever made (though was not expecting 'The Godfather' or 'Casablanca' etc), it is a long way from being a 1/10 film, putting it down there with most of the films riffed on MST3K, films from SyFy and the Asylum, 'Home Alone 4', 'NeverEnding Story 3', 'Titanic: The Animated Movie' and the Baby Geniuses films is insulting. As far as 2019 goes, it is towards being one of the better films of that year if not one of the very best.

'Knives Out' had potential to be even better than it was. If it didn't overdo or repeat too much the vomiting running gag and slowed the final solution down (a suitably complicated one that is explained a little too fast for my liking) it would have been a better film.

Wouldn't have said no to the truth (well some of it was) being revealed later than it was, though even when it was placed when it was it was still in the final solution not at all what things initially seemed. The film is a little overlong as well.

However, so much works here. 'Knives Out' looks great, full of atmospheric colour, beautiful locations (the interiors of the house are especially atmospheric), stylishly photographed and slickly edited. Nathan Johnson's score has menace and energy, without feeling overused or over-scored. Johnson directs expertly with a clear love for the genre being sent up.

It is a cleverly scripted film too, shining especially in the smart and affectionate 70s murder mystery throwbacks and deliciously salty one liners and insults from Ransom. The story never felt dull to me and even when things seemed obvious too early some ingenious unexpected twists are brought in. Can totally see how Johnson was so influenced by Christie's writing, evidenced from as early on as the terrific opening sequence and with Christopher Plummer's patriarch character (a type of character seen frequently in Christie's books). A fine example of how to bring freshness to a very familiar genre often visited, while the final solution is incredibly clever though demands full attention.

Moreover, the ensemble cast, one of the best from that year, clearly have a ball. There is some delicious deadpan but also some inspired but not overdone scenery-chewing. Accent aside, Craig does a great job breaking away from his Bond image and revels being comedic in a laconic way. Plummer (RIP) is perfectly cast and while his screen time is not large he makes the absolute most of it. Ana De Armas has one of the most difficult roles and shows no signs of being taxed. Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson and Michael Shannon all give it everything they've got. My favourite performance came from Evans, also breaking away from typecasting, he was never this witty or salty.

Overall, very, very good. 8/10

No, it wasn't perfect. No it was not Academy Award material. But it was a delightful story with lots of classic whodunnit elements. I thought we got to know each character well and, like in an Agatha Christie novel, fulfilled their roles. I thought Craig did a nice job and kept things moving along. Plummer was good in his limited screen time. Once again, I'm so fed up with people who decide that IMDB presents an opportunity to destroy a valid system by giving a movie such as this a rating of One. Do you really think this film ranks down there with Alligator Women on Venus. That's what the One ratings are for. It's usually because a film gets a little hype and those with no imagination or who are unhappy with their lives feel the need to throw everything off. Use lower ratings, but try to show some objectivity.