[Review] Knives Out: Good People Deserves a Peaceful Life
Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi infuriated many Star Wars fanatics two years ago, but I personally loved it, so I eagerly anticipated his new film.
Once again, Rian Johnson has tricked us all. As I mentioned in my review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, one of that film's most brilliant aspects was its deliberate misdirection of the audience. Many visual and editing choices created illusions, leading to surprising revelations. This time, Johnson's misdirection extends beyond just visuals, encompassing the entire story and all promotional materials. The film's trailers and posters consistently promoted it as a star-studded ensemble piece, similar to Murder on the Orient Express from the year before, seemingly giving equal screen time to every character. Daniel Craig's detective, Benoit Blanc, appeared to be the "protagonist" with slightly more screen time. Who would have thought that just minutes into the film, we'd discover the true protagonist is Marta (Ana de Armas), who is relegated to the very edge of the poster? This was all meticulously planned by Rian Johnson, and it perfectly aligns with the film's theme and Marta's character design—she is an outsider, someone who initially should have no role in this family's story.
The film's setup initially resembles a typical detective mystery: the wealthy patriarch of a grand estate, Harlan (Christopher Plummer), suddenly dies. Everyone who attended the dinner party the night before at the mansion harbors secrets and is a suspect, with the film's central mystery being the identity of the killer. Similar films usually reveal the culprit near the end, but this movie takes a very different approach: after introducing each supporting character's background and alibi, Detective Benoit Blanc turns his attention to questioning Marta. At this point, the film inserts Marta's flashback of that night—she accidentally swapped Harlan's medications, and Harlan committed suicide to protect her, even coaching Marta on how to create a false trail to remove suspicion from herself. This "mystery" is solved very early in the film, so what's left to keep watching? Typical detective mysteries often conclude quickly after the reveal, but this film's focus isn't on who the killer is, but rather on Marta's transformation after experiencing all of this.
From the very beginning, the film portrays Marta as vulnerable, an outsider in the Thrombey family. From the scenes depicting Harlan's interactions with Marta, we can see his immense trust in her. However, we also know that Rian Johnson enjoys misleading audiences, and these types of detective mysteries often conceal a dark side to their protagonists, so viewers might still harbor some reservations about her. But Johnson adds a rather interesting and humorous detail to her character: Marta cannot lie without immediately vomiting. This unique trait of Marta's is also exploited by Detective Benoit Blanc to confirm some of his suspicions. Of course, Marta could fake vomiting to mislead others, so it seems we still cannot fully trust her. But as the story progresses, we gradually discover that Marta is genuinely sincere and kind, seemingly without a hint of malice or ambition. At this point, the lawyer reveals Harlan's will, and everything becomes interesting again—Harlan has left his entire fortune to Marta, disinheriting all his children. Marta instantly becomes the enemy of the entire Thrombey family.
While the film portrays Marta's goodness, it simultaneously depicts the Thrombey family's wickedness. Seasoned actors like Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, and Toni Collette play the core members of the family—Harlan's children—each with their own hidden motives. They've all fallen out with Harlan, giving each of them a strong reason to kill him, though none actually did the deed. The first half of the film primarily illustrates how fragmented this family is, with little regard for kinship and even outright dislike for one another. One of the film's most crucial scenes shows them debating politics in the living room, with some holding very conservative, anti-immigrant views, while others vehemently oppose them, labeling them as Nazis. This discussion not only reveals the relationships between these supporting characters but also touches upon a major theme of the film—immigration. In the film, Marta is the daughter of undocumented immigrants, a fact she has kept hidden. Initially, the Thrombey family didn't dislike Marta; they simply saw her as an outsider. Only Harlan's granddaughter, Meg (Katherine Langford), showed her genuine concern. However, when the lawyer announces Harlan's will, declaring Marta as the sole beneficiary of his estate, she immediately unites the family against her.
The family cannot fathom why Harlan would leave his entire fortune to an outsider, believing the inheritance to be their family's rightful property, to be passed down through blood. They immediately try to smear Marta, suggesting she might have drugged or seduced Harlan. In their eyes, Marta is not a family member; she doesn't share their blood, and therefore has no right to inherit Harlan's wealth. She must have done something illicit to make Harlan act this way. Even Meg, who was previously kind to Marta, points out that Harlan's decision is unfair to the family members. In other words, she too believes that an outsider has no right to inherit Harlan's estate. All of these instances might seem like mere Thrombey family drama, but they also reflect the views of many Americans towards immigrants: they feel that immigrants are taking their resources, and that their legal work and life in America is unfair and unjust.
As the film progresses, Marta is simultaneously threatened by the Thrombey family and blackmailed by a mysterious individual. She fears that the exposure of her indirect role in Harlan's death will implicate her mother and lead to her deportation. This is Marta's biggest test throughout the film, a moral test not about how she survives the ordeal, but whether she is willing to resort to any means, to bury the truth, to protect her mother. Marta becomes tougher from the second half of the film, attempting to deceive Detective Benoit Blanc and meet with her blackmailer. All of this seems to hint that she will commit terrible acts to conceal everything. But ultimately, she harms no one. Instead, she saves the housekeeper who holds Harlan's toxicology report, because that is her true nature. The film then reveals the complete truth of the events, which I won't detail here, but this truth is crucial to the film's theme and allows us to further understand Marta's character, and why she deserved Harlan's trust, and why he left his inheritance to her. The ending also moved me deeply, as the entire situation truly is an unfortunate tragedy, much of which could have been avoided; yet within this tragedy, we can feel a rare sense of trust and love. The film's ending is also a rare positive and optimistic conclusion in recent times, and I believe audiences will be happy about it, because good people deserves a peaceful life.
The film breaks the mold of typical detective mysteries, incorporating real-world social issues into the story, giving the genre a modern feel. Ana de Armas truly shines in her lead role as Marta, and her character's setup easily endears her to the audience. Her reaction when she learns the truth is incredibly touching, and I believe her relationship with Harlan moved many viewers. The film's other protagonist is Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc. His character is intelligent yet delightfully cartoonish; his singing snippets and "donut" dialogue add a lot of humorous moments, making him a major highlight of the film. As for the other characters, though they have less screen time, the ensemble cast brilliantly embodies their distinct traits, especially Chris Evans as the obnoxious trust-fund brat, whose lines are wonderfully sharp and biting. Additionally, the film's score infuses a classic flavor while also adding mystery and dramatic tension, perfectly complementing the film's many unexpected plot developments.
Trailer:
Synopsis:
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate.
Photo and Source: IMDb