Knives Out (2019)

I've seen Knives Out multiple times now and it just keeps getting better. Daniel Craig's delightful Southern detective is something rarely matched in cinema. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your evening.

Everyone told me to watch Knives Out for years. Finally did and instantly understood why. Daniel Craig's delightful Southern detective is immediately apparent. Now I'm recommending it just as loudly to everyone else.

Every actor brings something to Knives Out, but the lead performance is genuinely extraordinary. The subtlety involved, the way the character changes without announcing it — it's a masterclass.

Knives Out has been praised so heavily that no film could live up to the hype completely. It's an excellent film — the ensemble Thrombey family is genuinely remarkable — but it's not the untouchable masterpiece some claim.

I first watched Knives Out as a teenager and thought it was fine. Rewatched at 30 and it hit completely differently. The the entitled elite undercurrent makes total sense now in a way it didn't before.

Knives Out is technically accomplished and I understand its place in film history. But it left me cold. The the entitled elite element felt mechanical and I never connected emotionally. Maybe I'll try again someday.

I liked Knives Out when I first saw it, but the second viewing is where it clicked. Once you notice how Rian Johnson plants every detail early on, the whole film transforms. Layers everywhere.

Whatever you think of the story, Knives Out is one of the most visually extraordinary films ever shot. There are frames here that belong in a gallery. Worth seeing on the biggest screen possible.

There are scenes in cinema you never forget. For me, Blanc's donut metaphor in Knives Out is one of them. Rian Johnson constructs it with total precision and it lands exactly as intended. Pure craft.

I went into Knives Out knowing nothing — no trailer, no plot summary. I strongly recommend that approach. The immigration and inheritance hits much harder when you haven't been primed for it. Go in cold.