Knives Out (2019)

The day after his 85th birthday which was attended by all members of his dysfunctional family, an internationally famous mystery writer (Christopher Plummer) is found dead. Ostensibly a suicide but there's suspicion of foul play by a famous detective (Daniel Craig) who was hired to look into the death. Directed by Rian Johnson (LOOPER), this is a humdinger of a whodunit. Johnson (who also wrote the screenplay) is obviously an Agatha Christie fanboy but he brings the Christie style into the 2000s! The actual "whodunit" is revealed fairly early on but as Craig's detective says, "There's an enormous hole in the mystery ..... like a donut" And it's that "donut hole" that propels the film and our interest in it forward. Something is missing from the puzzle and that something is one hell of a rollercoaster ride. Rian Johnson even slips in a political subtext that's quite relevant in today's culture. The ensemble cast is perfection with Ana De Armas (as Plummer's nurse) giving a breakthrough performance. Fans of Agatha Christie and murder mysteries (like myself) in general are in for a terrific treat. But even if you're not, give it a try. The multiple suspects ..... I mean cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell. Also with Lakeith Stanfield, Noah Segan, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz and K Callan.