Knives Out is a brilliantly fun whodunnit that’ll keep you entertained from the opening shot all the way to end.

Score: 5 / 5

From the minute that I read the announcement of writer/director Rian Johnson’s next film, I was sold. A whodunnit murder mystery by Johnson? Count me in, then the cast was announced, and I wasn’t just sold, I wished I could teleport in time and watch it right then. Sadly, time travel or speeding up time was out of my budget, so instead, I went about waiting. Well, Knives Out is finally here, and it’s one of the best movies of the year, easily.

Knives Out follows Daniel Craig’s private investigator, Benoit Blanc, as he investigates the apparent suicide of famous mystery novel writer Harlan Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer. The problem is he’s dealing with a family that is just as eccentric as the Bluth family from Arrested Development. The Thrombey’s are all pretty awful upper-class human beings played by an amazing group of actors: Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and Chris Evans. Remember when I said that casting announcement got me so excited? Yeah, you get it now. Throughout the investigation, Blanc also employs the help of the home nurse/family friend Marta Cabrera, played by Ana de Armas. If you haven’t heard of Armas before, this movie will make you pay attention now. And this is saying something, considering the caliber of excellent actors all having a blast together.

The cast and its chemistry are top-notch, but it’s also how the story is told. Each family member gives their own narrative of the events, while Blanc and the viewers must piece together what really happened. There are twists and turns, and at a specific point, the story shifts in a way that makes you think this isn’t a whodunnit anymore. It’s just a pure thriller. I could say so much more about the story, but I don’t want to spoil a single moment.

Amplifying the cast is a beautiful combination of set/costume design and the score. The Thrombey estate oozes with character that you’d expect out of a mystery story, and each character’s attire amplifies their very unique personalities. And then there is a score that meshes perfectly with the murder mystery genre to really ham up the fun of the plot.

What else is there to say? This movie knocked it out of the park and then into a different stadium a hundred miles away. I loved Knives Out. From top to bottom, it’s one of the best movies of 2019 and a film I’m going to go back to for years and years to come.