Knives Out is a modern murder mystery that released last year to critical acclaim. Directed and written by Rian Johnson, the film's clear inspiration from Agatha Christie stories meant that this story felt tailor made for someone like me, a lover of murder mysteries ever since I picked up the Famous Five books as a child. Suffice to say, it was one of my favourite movies of an exceptionally strong year for movies.
For this full length reaction, I have included both the time stamp but also a brief description of the scene in case you don't have the movie available to stream! For anyone in the UK with an Amazon Prime account, Knives Out is available there in HD and also glorious 4K.
For those who haven't seen the movie, click here for my 2019 review.
0:01:00 – Dogs running outside the Thrombey house (first shot)
All right, people, we’re one minute in and I already have Things To Say (it’s going to be that kinda commentary.) The first thing that hits you about the film is the score. It’s a string based classical score by Nathan Johnson and works wonderfully to evoke old detective movies whilst never venturing past the line of parody. Secondly, director/writer Rian Johnson’s decision to begin the story on the house establishes the Thrombey manor as one of the ensemble cast, akin to Agatha Christie's novel, Crooked House, which forms one of the main inspirations for this movie what with its wealthy yet emotionally dysfunctional family.
0:01:08 – Fran, the housekeeper, places the 'My house, my rules, my coffee' mug on the tray
Contender for most iconic movie mug alongside The Usual Suspects
0:01:20 – Fran moves through the house
The decision to focus in on each of the esoteric collection of figurines and sculptures adds wonderfully to the texture of the film. The props and set design department knocked it out of the park here. Not even two minutes in and we see how unconventional this family is whilst also setting up Harlan’s career as a writer via the shot of all his books on the shelf.
0:02:20 – Titles
Is it a weird thing to say that I love the font and colour of the title? I don’t know, I love me a good title font and the 'film grain' gives it a nice aesthetic too.
0:02:51 – Marta and her family in the kitchen
The voice of the actor in the TV show Marta's sister is watching is none other than frequent Johnson collaborator, Joseph Gordon Levitt. It’s also a little jarring to see modern cars and laptops after such a classical opening (barring the funny mug of course.)
0:04:41 – Meg telling Marta “you’re a part of this family”
I love that the start of the movie establishes everyone’s apparent fondness for Marta only to tear that down piece by piece as we progress. We drink up the family’s empty words now because we have no reason not to.
0:04:47 – Having said that, there are hints of their indifference, such as Linda’s curt and impatient hand pat as Marta hugs her.
0:05:35 Wide shot of Linda being questioned by the police
This is just one of many examples to pick up on but boy does Johnson knock it out of the park with blocking and framing scenes. Even though the room itself is very cluttered, the use of lighting and the positioning of the characters in centre frame makes it all so clean. Another detail to note later on is that the crew actually made up specialised lighting fixtures that were designed to look like natural light through a window as you can see it in the reflection of Linda's glasses.
0:06:29 Linda says that Marta’s family is from Ecuador.
*Thor voice* Are they though?
0:07:29 Linda speaking about her own secret way of communicating with her father
She says: “you had to find a game to play with him and if you did that, and you played by his rules…” This not only sets up Linda’s sub-plot with Harlan's message but also foreshadows something that Benoit Blanc says to Marta at the end of the film.
0:08:57 – “My wife, Donna, she’s my rock.”
Cuts to Donna screaming and dropping her drink. Love Richard's “Jesus, Donna, are you all right?”
0:09:01 – “My son Jacob…”
Okay random coincidence – Jaeden Martell plays Jacob here, and he *also* plays a Jacob in ‘Defending Jacob’ where Chris Evans plays his father, who plays his cousin Ransom in this movie. I do not know what to do with this information
0:09:20 – Flashback to Harlan's birthday celebration
Small details like this recurring shot with the birthday cake, only with the family members swapped out are such effective and visually succinct ways of telling the audience that everyone’s stories are subjective. Perhaps now is also a good time to mention the look of the film. Though shot digitally, cinematographer Steven Yedlin added in elements of the ‘film aesthetic' by adding grain and distortion, which in my opinion leads to a really beautiful looking film. The use of digital cameras also enabled the use of more natural lighting, according to Johnson.
0:10:05 – Flashback to Joni dancing at the party
Linda not even considering joining Joni in her dance is so hilarious. Jamie Lee Curtis' hand snatch is gold!
0:13:09 – According to Richard, Marta’s family are now from Paraguay.
The plot thickens, as they say.
0:14:23 – “If you think I am dumb enough to be baited into talking family business, into shit-talking my baby brother…”
Cut to Richard: “Walt doesn’t run shit!”
One of my favourite comedic beats in the film. Not only is it generally hilarious but it serves to highlight the difference between Linda and Richard. Linda seems to have inherited Harlan’s brains, and it has been mentioned that she also built herself from the ground up. You'll notice that every member of the Thrombey family is cunning in their own way, apart from Richard, Joni and Donna all of whom married into the family and did not inherit Harlan's intelligence.
0:17:33 – Ransom left the party early
I love how we slowly unfold the timeline through getting pieces of the night... “Are you goddamn insane?” from Ransom. I also love that camera pan from the family turning around to Chris Evans storming out of the study with Harlan in the background.
0:18:34 – “You tell her or I will!”
I don’t know why but Harlan shouting there always takes me to Christopher Plumber’s voice acting as Charles Muntz in Up. Same kind of intonation.
0:18:50 – Harlan shows Richard pictures of his infidelity
Something that I only realised upon someone pointing it out in a Youtube comments section is that the baseball that Harlan is holding right now ‘guides’ this B-plot of Linda realising that Richard is having an affair. It starts off its journey here in Harlan’s hand...
0:20:30 random aside- Americans pronounce the word ‘tuition’ weirdly. It’s so up and down in the middle lol
0:22:36 – Richard discovers the blank letter
The baseball is now thrown out of the window by Richard upon his discovery that Harlan was seemingly lying about having a letter with everything written in it. The baseball is with Benoit Blanc now after he picks it up from the ground
0:23:07 – Marta waits anxiously to be questioned, staring at the portrait of Harlan
According to Johnson, this portrait has been CGI’d into every shot it is in because it hadn't been completed at the time of filming!
0:28:30 – Benoit revealing that he doesn’t know who hired him
Even though his accent is exaggerated and might take some people out of the film, I do think that Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson’s writing make Benoit Blanc instantly iconic. “Makes no damn sense, compels me though” is one of my favourite Blanc quotes. I also love that Lakeith Stanfield calls him 'Benny'.
0:29:33 – Joni goes to check on Harlan
On repeat viewing, I enjoy details like seeing Ana de Armas standing in the background. We find out later she’s hiding her face because she’s upset but Joni doesn’t even think to ask her because of the recurring theme of Marta being the 'invisible help'.
0:30:00 – Walt notes that it is midnight
Again, we later see that Marta actually calls attention to the time but Walt does not remember that – the 'invisible help' and differing encounters motifs continue. Incidentally, I love this whole sequence of mapping out the timeline. It’s an aspect of murder mysteries that I have always enjoyed, for example in Agatha Christie stories like Murder on the Orient Express. There’s always a little detail- in this case the dogs barking at 3 am – that we forget about only for it to make sense later.
0:32:30 – Benoit flips his coin, time slows down and Marta flashes back to the real story
This is the point where the story shifts. As others have noted previously, the genius of Knives Out is its ability to shift genres only to arrive back at being a murder mystery in the end. The following sequence seems to unveil the whole truth of the central ‘murder’, shifting the narrative so that we are now more suspenseful of Marta being caught than the conventional 'find out who the murderer is'. Getting all the information so soon is a surprise in and of itself. (I wonder if Rian Johnson took inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's advice on suspense and mystery, specifically the 'Bomb Under the Table' idea.)
0:35:28 – “Until you can’t tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife.”
Le foreshadowing! Admittedly, I did forget about this line until the end but the whole speech about Ransom fits together nicely with how the plot unfolds.
0:36:42 – Marta messes up the medicines
This scene is so good. Ana de Armas and Christopher Plumber sell it so well and you can’t help but empathise with the sinking realisation that there is no hope for Harlan. I love how he takes the entire situation in stride, furthering the idea that he plays life like a game. It’s here that I began to really appreciate Armas’ heartfelt and sincere performance, one that anchors a movie filled with exaggerated personalities.
0:40:45 “Beafterfore the carved elephant”
Furthering this motif of unreliable memories in an amusing way, Marta struggles to remember if Harlan said to pull out before or after the carved elephant in order to avoid the security cameras.
0:46:02 – Richard beckons Marta over to participate in their Trump/immigrant conversation
I love the re-contextualising of Richard’s friendly wave over to Marta. Also note him getting her country wrong again (Uruguay) and his thoughtless passing of his plate to her as if she is a maid, the latter was actually Don Johnson’s idea and a brilliant acting detail!
0:49:20 – Walt and Meg share the family’s plan to help her out financially
This shot from above directed at Walt is great, as if he is someone grand and looming making this generous (yet eventually empty) offer to help Marta. If you notice he repeats something that Linda says early on, “I think you should have been at the funeral by the way – I was outvoted”, showing that none of the family actually did vote in her favour.
0:51:47 – Benoit wants Marta to be on his side for the investigation
This is the one logical leap that I am a little dubious about. I don’t think that Benoit or the detectives would ever allow a potential suspect to witness their investigation. There are explanations... Benoit gives one – “I trust your kind heart”- suggesting that he wants to protect her from the vultures that are the Thrombeys. Marta also comments later on that he’s “not much of a detective” so perhaps there’s just simple gross incompetence too!
(Side note: I love how Blanc is stood in the shadows, subtly influencing the audience not to trust him, since the movie has shifted from 'solve the mystery' to 'get away with the crime', the former of which would make Benoit a positive character and the latter a negative.)
0:54:00 – The groundsman interviewed
I can’t believe it took me until now to realise that the fridge magnet the groundsman uses to put up the old picture of Thrombey manor is the same one that Marta picks up to destroy the tape. I also love Benoit just smiling and being in a good mood at the start of this scene.
0:57:30 – Marta realises that she left footprints in the mud
The past few times I watched the film I’ve always been so fixated on the mud situation that I never paid attention to Benoit and trooper Wagner discussing how pleasant it is to say the word ‘Kenoak’. Low-key hilarious.
0:59:02 – “Sweet beans!”
That’s it, that’s the comment.
1:00:16 – Chris Evans arrives.
Again, that’s it… that’s the comment. (I do love watching Ransom’s entrance knowing how much Evans loves dogs in real life.)
1:01:20 – The lawyer/will reader informs them that he will be ready in 10...
And is played by Frank Oz, most famous for being the voice of Yoda.
The following scene is also broken down magnificently by Johnson in this Vanity Fair video, and truly makes you appreciate how difficult it is to block a scene involving such a significant ensemble of characters. Johnson also highlights the brilliance of Michael Shannon’s various ad-libs and how many biscuits Evans had to eat for the scene (apparently a lot).
1:04:35 – “Eat shit!”
Though I would have loved and maybe preferred Johnson’s originally scripted line (“fuck off!”), I do appreciate that he cut it to maintain a family friendly rating, especially with the rarity of family oriented murder mystery films nowadays. Walt’s “I’m not eating one iota of shit!” is absolutely hilarious, and is a Michael Shannon ad-lib.
1:05:17 – The baseball saga continues with Benoit throwing it for the dog...
1:05:40 – “HOW ABOUT SOME MORE COOKIES, HUGH? Maybe Harlan left you a cold glass of milk in his will, asshole!”
Love this line and that Chris Evans looks close to breaking character for a second.
1:07:04 – “The game is afoot, eh Watson?”
Your annual PSA that the above phrase does not mean that the ‘game is on’ but rather the game- as in prey- is on the move.
1:10:36 – the family reacts to the contents of Harlan’s will
I adore this absolute chaos. Linda finally loses control, ordering everyone out of the house. “You little bitch!” slips out so easily as the entire family turns against Marta on a dime.
1:11:40 – The family surrounds Marta as she comes out of the house, all talking at once.
One of my favourite scenes in the film! I love the abrupt and imperfect change from steadycam to handheld to really sell the personal chaos for Marta. It’s an absolute nightmare- chaotic, confrontational with each family member arguing or pleading in a different way. Apparently, Toni Collette improvised her little “I’m not on Twitter anymore so DM me on Instagram” joke.
1:13:20 – Marta and Ransom in the diner
Okay. We have reached the ‘Knives Out challenge’ scene aka the most famous sweater of 2019. And yes, it’s a great sweater. But now is also a moment to shout out all the other costumes in the movie. There is a lot of beautiful knitwear here thanks to costume designer Jenny Egan!
1:17:24 – “And, Alan, God bless you, you’re useless.”
I love Don Johnson in this film. I also love how quickly Alan's fellow lawyer wakes up- was she faking sleep so that she didn’t have to deal with the Thrombey chaos? Because honestly, I respect that.
1:20:56 – Meg calls Marta about the inheritance
Having Meg say “I know he was like family to you but we’re his actual family” is the final nail in the coffin for the Thrombey’s previous ‘generosity’ towards Marta. Even the ultra liberal Meg finally caves under the pressure from her family and the thought of her tuition fees. I’m also a sucker for the character-steps-into-the-light-just-to-reveal-their-eyes trope, which Daniel Craig should be familiar with from his work on Bond.
1:24:00 – Benoit talks to Mrs Thrombey
“...I suspect the first to console you.” I love that Benoit Blanc is characterised more by how he values kindness rather than intelligence, especially in a market saturated with the Unfeeling Genius trope (I'm looking at you, Sherlock Holmes.) It’s something that really sets apart Rian Johnson’s protagonists and story.
1:27:56 – “Because Harlan gave me all your resources. So that means with my resources, I’ll be able to fix it.”
Oh snap! You love to see it.
1:28:23 – Marta opens a letter with part of the toxicology report and a threat
I love that you can see that the envelope has been previously been opened, which we later find out is because Ransom received the threatening letter from Fran before passing it on to Marta.
1:30:53 – “You didn’t get any other instructions? No phone call, no email, nothing?”
Knowing that Ransom sent the, well, ransom email, it’s low key hilarious watching him trying to prompt Marta to check her emails. Like, here’s a thought, Marta. Maybe check your emails? Just a thought… No worries if not. But, seriously, check them.
1:33:28 – Marta and Ransom in the car after the ‘pointless’ chase
Ingenious lighting here with Ransom completely in the shadows and Marta in the sunlight, hinting at his true intentions as he manipulates Marta to go to the meeting place.
1:42:02 – “God, you’re not much of a detective, are you?”
I love this calm before the storm moment. For a long time now, the movie has ceased to be a conventional murder mystery and we’ve been more embroiled in rooting for Marta to get away with her mistake. It’s not until a few moments time where the narrative takes a twist back into the mystery genre…
1:42:44 – Marta starts to explain the truth to the family but Benoit interrupts
…And then when that shift finally does happen, it’s not through an over-hyped revelation but actually unfolds in the background. We see Benoit open the letter and read it in the background of Marta’s address to the family, only to gloriously interrupt with speech that includes one of my favourite lines of the movie – “You’re a pack of vultures at the feast! Knives out, beaks bloody!”
1:43:37 – After Benoit’s interruption, Linda takes the baseball from the dog’s mouth.
Another moment that I barely noticed before, but the baseball’s journey/subplot progresses in this small moment and now Linda has her father’s baseball.
1:44:37 – “We see that the donut hole has a hole in its center. It is not a donut hole, but a smaller donut with its own hole and our donut is not whole at all!”
What a great moment. My favourite part of any Poirot centered Agatha Christie story has always been the classic finale where he gathers the central characters to explain the mystery. Rian Johnson once again excels at delivering a modern version of this trope but lovingly pokes fun at it with this amazingly ridiculous donut analogy.
1:44:50 – “Why was I hired?!”
And it’s questions like this which is what makes me love the murder mystery genre so much. We’ve been so embroiled in all the countless other details of the movie that we’ve forgotten one of the most fundamental aspects of the situation. Why is Blanc even there in the first place? Johnson’s construction of this entire story is so masterful and slick, it’s easy to take for granted because its best bits don’t call attention to themselves.
1:45:51 – Blanc sits down in the chair in front of the circular knives display
Arguably the moment we have all been waiting for: a character to sit directly in the middle of the knives display. It had to happen at some point, right?
1:46:52 – Blanc questions why Ransom hired him
I love that little hand gesture Craig does when he says “let’s back it up to the night of the party.”
1:47:56 – “Your Brazilian nurse?”
Aaand that’s the last potential country of origin for Marta.
1:50:50 – “You gave him the correct medication because you are a good nurse.”
Excuse me, Rian, I didn’t come to a murder mystery movie to feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I was not prepared.
1:54:00 – Fran mentioned a Hallmark movie called Deadly by Surprise
I love Lakeith Stanfield’s eye roll at Trooper Wagner knowing exactly what Hallmark movie Marta is referring to.
1:55:54 – Ransom burns down the medical examiners office using a Molotov cocktail
This was pointed out by the Youtube channel 'cinemawins', but apparently earlier on in the film, we can see that one of Ransom’s large brown decorative bottles at his house is missing- and this is why!! He used it to burn down the building! Truly, the attention to detail in this movie is superior.
1:59:50 – “With a good lawyer, which I have, I’ll be out in no time.”
I love seeing Chris Evans having fun after being freed from his (still brilliant) stoic performance as Cap. If you want to see his fellow Marvel Chris also having fun as an antagonist outside of the MCU (and no, I don’t mean Pratt in Passengers but that also works), watch a movie called Bad Times at the El Royale starring Chris Hemsworth. It’s also a slow-building mystery and though its narrative isn’t as strong, I'd recommend it for any fan of the genre.
2:01:54 – Linda returns the baseball to her father’s desk
And so we reach the end of this circular sub-plot, with the baseball returned to its original place leading to Linda finding the letter from her father which reveals Richard’s affair. This whole journey has been such a brilliant little narrative device and one that I didn’t even notice for a long time.
2:02:20 – The family reacts to Ransom being arrested
I love the slow-motion and score here!
2:03:30 – “You won, not by playing the game Harlan’s way, but yours.”
This. Kindness is what won the day and honestly I love that. Marta is such a lovable character and Ana de Armas is so brilliant, as are Daniel Craig’s interactions with her.
2:04:13 – Marta looks at the portrait of Harlan
The portrait has actually changed from before- Harlan’s now smiling. A neat little detail.
2:05:00 – Marta stands on the balcony above the family, sipping her tea in the ‘My house’ mug.
Honestly iconic. What a great ending.
Though this thread isn’t subtle by any means, the ending literally has an immigrant ‘taking’ an entitled family’s birth-right, not illegally or violently, but through hard work and kindness.
Thanks for coming this far into my whole movie commentary for one of my favourite films of the past few years. Murder mysteries are really a love of mine and the cast, direction, acting, writing, costumes and everything else came together so brilliantly here. Here's hoping for a Benoit Blanc sequel!
I do not own any of the images used in this post.