It is so nice to watch a really good trailer which then translates to an even greater movie. I don’t think I have seen one of those since maybe Widows, aka the best movie of last year.  Now we have a new king on the block and it’s name is Knives Out.

It’s a Murder Mystery/Whodunit/Cluedo scenario where someone really important has been murdered and there are a bunch of colourful suspects and some equally witty detectives that need to find out who did it. If you’re familiar with the genre then you already know the drill, but the genius comes from director/writer Rian Johnson who spices the story up a notch to make it a very entertaining film to watch.

That’s pretty much all I will say about the story as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Johnson’s super tight script is perfectly crafted to keep you engaged, with fantastically colourful characters and by twisting and turning the knife to make audiences second guess themselves. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on for a while and then the movie throws a curveball which utterly destroyed any theories I had, while at the same time I never felt cheated because of the brilliant execution.

The movie is also quite tongue in cheek as most of the movie is played up for laughs. The comedy works seamlessly as it’s never too jarring during the more serious moments. What also helps sell the comedy is the all star cast and it’s probably the best combination of actors I have seen all year.  Everyone delivers except maybe the kid from It because his character was pretty weak compared to all the other three-dimensional characters.

I think I enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Shannon’s characters the most because they were such a delight to watch. As great as they are the really big standouts are Daniel Craig as a very strongly accented Brit coin flipping detective and Ana de Armas as the outsider of this very rich spoiled family. My favourite scenes in the movie are at the start where the detective is interviewing each member of the family, all with their own creative flare, there isn’t a dull moment and that can also be said for the entire movie.

I already mentioned the worst character, but it’s no deal breaker. When the main girl leaves the Cluedo manor it’s not as interesting because the best characters are left behind and the city they go to kind of lacks the charismatic charm of the manor. She mostly hangs out with Chris Evans who isn’t bad, but he was one of the weaker family members. Again none of this ruined my movie going experience.

I absolutely loved Knives Out. It’s been awhile since I walked out of a cinema with a big grin on my face. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. Do I even need to say that it’s a 9 ½ out of 10 and earns The Blog Complainer Approved Seal. What a great end to November and I’ll catch you next month where we have the highly anticipated Cats to talk about. (Oh boy did I not sleep well the first time I saw that trailer.) I have been The Blog Complainer, signing out.