The Whodunnit isn’t exactly a new idea when it comes to story telling and film making, and it’s one that we are all rather familiar with really, but that doesn’t stop it from being enjoyable after all these years. That being said, it has been used so much in so many films and television dramas, some may say that it’s had its time and is becoming a little dated on occasion. Yet in 2019, the classic whodunnit returned to our screens in Knives Out, bringing together a star studded cast with plenty and twists and turns throughout.

Knives Out begins by laying out the classic storyline of Who Killed the family patriarch when famous and eccentric author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his private rooms. Was it suicide? Or was it murder? The police investigators are soon all over the house, picking apart the drama and struggles of his strange extended family. With the arrival of the mysterious private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the secrets of the family soon start to work their way out of the woodwork. From powerful daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), troublesome grandson Ransom (Chris Evans), argumentative and passionate son Walt (Michael Shannon) and Harlan’s devoted Nurse Marta (Ana De Armas), there’s plenty to find out about this motley crew of business people and secret keepers.

With constant twists of time lines and alternate goings on depending on which family member is telling the story, Knives Out takes you through the events of one evening. A party to celebrate Harlan is full to the brim with drama, promises of rights to the family business being thrown around and threats of a changing of the will looming over the heads of many. With so much going on, and so many characters to hear from in regards to how they saw the evenings events, you really are kept guessing who the culprit is until the very end.

Daniel Craig plays the commanding but somewhat odd character of Benoit Blanc, a private detective who arrives at the house to investigate Harlan’s death. There’s something odd about Blanc, be it his almost childlike excitement at the whole affair or his strange way of comparing the case to a doughnut and it’s missing hole, but nevertheless he’s a likeable character. His energy keeps the action moving forwards at a great pace, which is good for a film that clocks in with a running time of over 2 hours, and the characters intelligence and quick wit picks apart at the complicated family drama with an apparent ease. The dynamic between Craig and De Armas as the shy reserved nurse Marta is somewhat charming as he attempts to guide the young women through the investigation in a caring fashion.

As Marta, Ana De Armas has a lot to handle in this complicated role, playing out many twisting plot lines and portraying the character that really holds the entire story together. Marta is easy to like, easy to believe and ultimately easy to trust, you want to believe that everything she is saying is true, and with the parts of the story told from her point of view, you want to see her come through everything and be alright on the other side of it all. Alongside Chris Evans as Ransom, Harlan’s rule breaking grandson, they make an odd mismatched double act, although the chunky knit sweater wearing trouble maker Ransom never wants to make anything easy for her. Ransom, in theory, should be an annoying character, with his desire to never fit in with his family nor follow their rules, and his over confident I am better than anyone else ways, but somehow Evans manages to make the character enjoyable and likeable, and possibly the films most popular character overall.

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Through flashbacks to the evening before the discovery of Harlan’s body, we see Harlan, played by Christopher Plummer as both a fun lover and a serious business man. He knows what he wants, and knows the intricate ins and outs of his family dynamics. Even though we know that he is the victim from the first few minutes of the film, we are constantly learning about him throughout, learning that his family may have motives to kill him or that he may have reasons to end it all himself. It’s never straight cut, or straight forward, and it’s this constant learning that keeps you hooked throughout. Jamie Lee Curtis is a powerful force of Linda, Harlan’s forever serious daughter. She is adamant that she knows the truth about her father, and is quick to accuse others of any serious crime or misbehaviour. She shares many an argument with her sibling Walt played by Michael Shannon, and isn’t afraid to tell him what she really thinks, especially when many a truth begins to come out.

Some may say that whodunnits are old fashioned, but Knives Out feels bright and new. The classic idea is there, plain to see. The idea of a group of people all connected by the victim of a horrible crime, all forced to confess secrets and issues to commanding police officers. That isn’t new, but with this film, those classic ideas and plot points are combined with comedy. Benoit Blanc is not your normal detective and he bosses his fellow officers around with a strange sense of glee as they desperately try to keep up with his rapid train of thought. The characters are all so well developed, even those you see very little of, and each has their own interesting story to tell. To conclude, Knives Out will keep you guessing from start to finish, and make you laugh throughout, and I believe that it has set a very high standard for any future whodunnits.