For love of movies
‘Knives Out’ takes advantage of troublesome fun,
Chris Evans gets to the point of comic whodunit “Knives Out” when he sarcastically refers to Benoit Blanc, the suspendered southern sleuth played by Daniel Craig, as Foghorn Leghorn.
The allusion to the boastful rooster of Looney Tunes cartoon renown is no accident. “Knives Out” is as much a ’toon as it is a hat tip to the elaborate mechanics of an Agatha Christie mystery. It’s silly and suspenseful in equal measure.
Everybody in this film by writer/director Ria n Johnson (“Looper,” “Brick,” “Star Wars VIII”), with the possible exception of upright lawman Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) and devoted caregiver Marta (Ana de Armas), is having a whale of a time being troublesome and/or a suspect.
This includes famed crime writer Harlan Thrombe y (Christopher Plummer), who expires with a dramatic nod to the title sometime in the early hours following his 85th birthday party at his autumn-shaded mansion.
Cue the suspicious violins — and also the amusing piano tinkle by Blanc, as he provides musical accompaniment to the rogue’s gallery of extended family members assembled for the gathering and post-mortem grilling.
They sit on a decorative throne of knives that not-soaccidentally resembles the hunk of metal furniture at the heart of “Game of Thrones.”
Played by Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette and perhaps a few too many other actors for a story so screwy, the Thrombey kin and their hangers-on all have one thing in common, besides possible guilt.
That would be a love of money, which grumpy Harlan used to provide in abundance. But it seems the old coot had grown weary of being fleeced by his supposed loved ones — he turned off the spigot shortly before his fateful lights-out, providing motives to vultures young and old.
The fun of “Knives Out” isn’t the eye-rolling plot, which ultimately boils over and puts out its own flame. The quest for clues includes watching a certain character’s propensity to vomit whenever a lie is uttered.
No, you watch this movie to enjoy the glee by which the various schemers and dreamers try to make the best of an increasingly dicey situation.
Most amusing of all is Craig’s boastful Blanc, who may be as smart as the 007 agent he usually plays, but is considerably more mischievous.
He often says one thing and then does another, as when he promises the Thrombey clan at the outset of his investigation: “You will find me a respectful, quiet, passive observer of the truth.”
To quote the great Foghorn Leghorn: “That’s a joke, son!”