‘Knives Out’ is a mystery-comedy movie that presents a contemporary take on the whodunit genre. It is inspired by the works of Agatha Christie and has been warmly received for its intricate plot, engaging characters played by talented actors and amusing satire of a popular genre.

Nov 27, 2019 Featured Movie News. News item Exclusive 'Vanquish' Clip: Get Out of There Read More; news item This Week in Movie News: Mads Mikkelsen Joins ’Indiana Jones 5,’ Lucy Liu to Play a Villain in ‘Shazam 2’ and More Read More; news item Godzilla vs. Kong: 12 Fun Facts From The Set Read More. The cast of 'Knives Out.' MRC II Distribution Company L.P 'In order to keep track of all the family members' names, I came up with a sort of cheat, sort of a code. I named them all after '70s rock stars,' Johnson told ScreenCrush. Knives Out impressed critics for multiple reasons upon its arrival in theaters. The mystery, which has the Thrombery family teaming up with a detective to uncover the circumstances surrounding the death of novelist Harlan, was praised for its compelling suspense, a smart plot, and entertaining twists.

The movie follows a family whose members gather for a reunion cum birthday party of the family’s patriarch, the wealthy novelist, Harlan Thombrey. The next morning, when Thombrey is mysteriously found dead, the family members become top suspects in a murder investigation headed by a private investigator, Benoit Blanc. The character of Benoit Blanc played to perfection by Daniel Craig, has been inspired by Christie’s fictional detective, Hercule Poirot.

It was writer, director, and producer, Rian Johnson’s love for Agatha Christie that urged him to develop this project. Johnson is known for directing the 2017 Star Wars movie, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi.’

Apart from Daniel Craig, this movie stars a bunch of exceptional A-listers including Chris Evans,Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas,Don Johnson, and Michael Shannon. The movie has been dubbed as a near-perfect murder mystery and is genuinely entertaining despite the outdated genre that it tries to satirize. Such a feat is rare due to the fact that both, mystery and satire are overcrowded genres and resultantly, have an extremely high bar for quality. If you enjoy whodunits and need more movies from that category that employs a lighthearted, satirical approach, you should definitely watch the following seven films. Many of them are available for streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu.

7. Black Dynamite (2009)

‘Black Dynamite’ is one laugh-out-loud flick that you should see at all costs. To begin with, it features an African-American protagonist performing skilled martial arts stunts in a comic manner that is similar to the humor of Jackie Chan’s comedy movies. Moreover, it is a quality parody of the blaxploitation genre, a kind of movie that glorifies the African-American subculture and often romanticizes the ghetto.

The movie follows a former CIA agent, Black Dynamite who is skilled in martial arts. After Black Dynamite’s brother is murdered by a shady drug-dealing organization, he decides to clean the streets and wipe out a new drug from the market himself. It is scripted by and stars Michael Jai White as the titular protagonist.

6. The Nice Guys (2016)

‘The Nice Guys’ is a neo-noir black comedy movie that stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in leading roles. Apart from a suspenseful subplot, the movie mainly serves as a parody of the buddy cop genre. It follows a couple of private detectives, Healy and March.

Knives Out Cast Members

While investigating the case of a pornographic actress who reportedly committed suicide, the detective duo discovers a conspiracy of epic proportions. The movie was lauded by critics with particular praise going towards the chemistry between Gosling and Crowe. In fact, Gosling was even compared to Nicholas Cage for his role.

5. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ is a comedy-mystery movie that is directed by the veteran filmmaker, Woody Allen. He developed the idea for this 1993 movie from an early draft of his 1997 romcom, ‘Annie Hall’ that was not satisfactory. It follows a married couple, Larry and Carol Lipton living in Manhattan whose neighbor’s wife dies mysteriously.

Carol decides to investigate the murder without the support of his husband. However, when her friend starts to help her, Larry gets jealous and joins Carol in the investigation. Woody Allen acted in ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ as well, playing the character of Larry Lipton. Diane Keaton, who was Allen’s ex at the time played the role of Carol Lipton. The movie was praised for the lead actors’ impeccable chemistry and performance apart from its gentle, escapist tone.

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4. Game Night (2018)

‘Game Night’ is an American mystery black comedy that was released last year. It satirizes the serious tone of mystery movies in its poster itself, thanks to the words, “this is not a game.” The movie follows a group of friends who participate in a couples’ game night every week. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams lead the cast as Max and Annie, a couple.

When Max’s brother hosts a murder mystery, the stakes get invariably raised when he gets kidnapped. As Max, Annie and their competitive couple-friends set out to solve the mystery and rescue Brooks, they discover something unknown about Brooks and the game. The movie received praise for its tight plotting that delivered genuinely shocking twists and turns and its ability to land silly humor at the same time.

3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

A homage to neo-noir movies, ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ is a black comedy crime film that premiered in 2005. It is partially based on the novel, ‘Bodies Are Where You Find Them’ by Brett Halliday. It follows a thief who masquerades as an actor and becomes friends with a private investigator. However, his friendship leads to him getting sucked into a murder investigation in Hollywood that also draws in a struggling actress.

The movie received widespread critical acclaim and was noted for its decently sketched out characters and entertaining plot. Robert Downey Jr.’s performance was even dubbed as one of his most enjoyable ones.

2. Murder by Death (1976)

This 1976 comedy mystery is a parody of the whodunit genre and includes multiple references to popular mystery and whodunit stories. It follows five world-class detectives who are invited to a wealthy but mysterious man to play a murder mystery game with a $1 million reward for the winner. However, when the millionaire’s butler dies unexpectedly before the game can commence, the detectives and their associates are pushed into solving an actual mystery and face life-threatening danger while doing so.

The five detectives portrayed are satirical caricatures of famous, fictional detectives- providing an acclaimed allusion to the genre that the movie is a parody of. For instance, Milo Perrier and Jessica Marbles are caricatures of Agatha Christie’s characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple respectively. The movie was praised by critics for its smooth screenplay, background music, performances by its ensemble cast and hilariously re-watchable humor.

‘Murder by Death’ stars Peter Sellers as Inspector Sidney Wang (a caricature of Earl Derr Biggers’ Chinese detective, Charlie Chan), Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston and Truman Capote as the multi-millionaire, Lionel Twain. “By the time the world’s greatest detectives figure out whodunnit,” the movie’s poster warns, “…you could die laughing!”

1. A Shot in the Dark (1964)

If you love the pairing of comedy and mystery, you should have surely heard of Inspector Jacques Clouseau- the incompetent, absent-minded and chaotic police detective with a pronounced French accent. If not, the ‘Pink Panther’ film series is one franchise that you should get to bingeing right away.

The beloved character first appeared in the 1963 movie, ‘The Pink Panther’ in a supporting role. However, Peter Sellers’ rib-tickling performance in ‘The Pink Panther’ spurred a series of films and television series, starting with ‘A Shot in the Dark’ that focused on Jacques Clouseau. The 1964 film follows the detective as he is sent to investigate a murder whose biggest suspect is a woman named Maria Gambrelli. However, after Clouseau lets Maria free, thinking that she is innocent due to her beauty, several other people get murdered with Maria being the prime suspect in each case.

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‘Knives Out’ has been elaborately categorized as an ensemble black comedy-thriller. However, at its core, the movie is a murder mystery that promises to tug at the boundaries of the genre, and break it down, only to rebuild it. Aptly, it has been labeled as a modern take on the mystery genre. The basic plot is about a dysfunctional family that comes together for a gathering to find that things have gone horribly wrong when the patriarch shows up dead. A master detective shows up to investigate, only to become increasingly baffled by the case.

The film comes from Rian Johnson, who started off on a similar note, making the fantastic movie ‘Brick’. However, his directorial debut channeled the noir vibes to a high school setting. ‘Brick’ makes it clear that Johnson knows his mystery genre well enough to shake things up. However, while ‘Brick’ is a clear homage to hardboiled writers like Dashiell Hammett, ‘Knives Out’ has been structured like a classic locked-room mystery with a limited number of suspects, which is a trademark of Agatha Christie.

The movie promises to be an entertaining watch and one that will certainly keep us guessing as the filmmaker gradually reveals all the pieces on the table like a magician setting up a grand act. We are definitely excited to see how the star-studded cast accentuates the plot with their performances. Thus, without much ado, we bring you everything that we know about ‘Knives Out’, the upcoming film.

Knives Out Plot: What Is It About?

‘Knives Out’ follows acclaimed and wealthy crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey. For his 85th birthday, he invites the members of his dysfunctional family to attend a gathering at his remote mansion. The hope is to reunite them all. However, the next day after the birthday party, Harlan is found dead by the members of the family.

This is where the Christie-like locked room mystery begins to add the features of a classic whodunnit, as masterfully portrayed by Alfred Hitchcock. We get the inkling that everything might not be as it seems when lead detective Lieutenant Elliott is more than eager to write off the death as an overly dramatic suicide. He believes that Harlan slit his own throat. Despite this, the investigation reveals that the party on the night before had its share of shouting matches and confrontations among various members of the self-righteous and largely indignant Thrombey family. Finally, an experienced private investigator, Benoit Blanc, is called to get to the bottom of the case. However, he soon becomes flustered as he comes to realize that everyone might be a suspect in the possible murder.

At its core, ‘Knives Out’ asks who committed the murder, but through the investigation, we are made aware of the household tensions that exist between different members of the family. We come across a bevy of fascinating characters like Harlan’s meek nurse, Marta, who vomits uncontrollably whenever she lies. This seems to be a particularly disadvantageous medical condition to have when one is caught up in a murder investigation and is likely to be privy to the secrets of other family members.

We are also introduced to Ransom Drysdale-Thrombey, the black sheep of the family, who everyone considers to be a troublemaker. It is abundantly clear that every member of the household has some motive or the other to want Harlan dead. The only question that Blanc must ask himself is who actually went through with the deed. ‘Knives Out’ becomes a study in the grievances the members have towards Harlan, which springs from the kind of relationship he shared with them. It also explores how the members react differently to Harlan’s death and process the grief.

Overall, it promises to be a somewhat serious plot with occasional comic streaks, making for an overall enjoyable experience.

Knives Out Cast: Who Is In It?

‘Knives Out’ has an immensely star-studded cast that is bound to make your head spin. Christopher Plummer appears as Harlan, the victim, while Daniel Craig appears as Benoit Blanc, the detective. Notably, Craig’s performance with a Southern drawl and infinite warmth and patience is a far cry from his portrayal in the James Bond movies. There are several other key characters like Harlan’s maid, who has a bad reaction to lying. Ana de Armas appears as the maid, Marta Cabrera. Chris Evans of the MCU movies appears as the black sheep of the family, Ransom Drysdale-Thrombey.

However, the cast does not simply end here. The members of the Thrombey family are portrayed by talented actors. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Linda Drysdale-Thrombey, Michael Shannon is seen as Walter “Walt” Thrombey, Don Johnson appears as Richard Drysdale-Thrombey, Toni Collette plays Joni Thrombey, while Katherine Langford is seen as Meg Thrombey. Lakeith Stanfield plays the role of Detective Lieutenant Elliot, who is eager to put the case to bed.

Knives Out Crew: Who Is Behind It?

Cast Of Movie Knives Out 2020

Rian Johnson is directing ‘Knives Out’ and the story comes from him as well. Notably, the director made his mark with ‘Star Wars‘ films, besides directing ‘Looper‘ and some of the best episodes of ‘Breaking Bad‘ including ‘Ozymandias’. Johnson is co-producing with Ram Bergman. Steve Yedlin is the man behind the camera, and the entire project is being distributed by Lionsgate.

Knives Out Release Date: When Will It Premiere?

‘Knives Out’ has already made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019. However, the movie is getting its theatrical release on November 27, 2019.

Knives Out Trailer:

You can check out the trailer of ‘Knives Out’ below. It provides a dizzying look into the various members of the dysfunctional Thrombey family as Blanc quizzes them all about their motives, trying to understand concretely who slit Harlan’s throat, killing the old man.

Cast Of Knives Out Movie

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