This is an advance review out of the Toronto International Film Festival. Knives Out opens in the US on Nov. 27 and in the UK on Nov. 29 and in Australia on Nov. 28.
In his new film Knives Out, writer-director Rian Johnson toys with the whodunit, taking the conventions of the sub-genre, initially adhering to them, then poking fun at the form, before flipping audience expectations on their head. The result is an exhilarating mix of comedy and thriller, as well as a deeply satisfying murder-mystery.
The morning after his 85th birthday, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead, with the cause seemingly a self-inflicted wound to the neck. Indeed, with the knife still in his hand, and an uninterrupted circle of blood spatter around his body, it looks like an open-and-shut case. A pair of cops – played by the deadpan LaKeith Stanfield and excitable Noah Segan – interview Harlan’s offspring and in-laws, who are as dysfunctional as they are rich, and as odious as they are entitled. That’s because Harlan Thrombey was one of the most successful crime writers in history, amassing a fortune that his children have been leaching off their entire lives; money that has maybe even encouraged some of them to think they are above the law.
Source: IGN.com Knives Out Review