Game Of Knives.
130 Mins. Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Noah Segan, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell & Christopher Plummer. Director: Rian Johnson.
Whodunit? 'All The Money In The World' and 'Inside Man' legend Christopher Plummer's charming character is found dead with his throat slit by a letter opener dagger in the 'Knives Out' study (I blame original 'In The World' actor Kevin Spacey...not for no longer being on the money, just for everything) and everyone's looking for Colonel Mustard and a Candlestick like this is all a game of Cluedo. But as 007 gets his Colombo on, minus the brown coat, but with an added accent and his own Watson to his Sherlock, murder is the case like Snoop Dogg or how Angela Lansbury wrote. But this time in a Boston manor as grand as the Orient Express in this New England home, this one takes the genre conventions off the rails. There's no 'Death On The Nile' here, but the Suchet or Kenneth Branagh magnificent moustache of Poirot would be proud like Agatha Christie of how this afoot game of broken trelaces and bloody, muddy footprints steps in all sort of different ways, red herrings and no spoiler alert. Just when you thought this movie gives the twist away early like the beginning of Al Pacino and "Benny Blanco from The Bronx's" 'Carlito's Way'. Much to the discredit of the action of its emotional, epic, murder before the train tracking end. But sitting on a literal crown of thorns in the circular knife display artwork that feels as prop pivotal a character as this Hollywood who's who, all star, A list and game cast, this Game of Thrombey's has a keep you guessing again end you are eager to put under the magnify glass. Anticipating waiting with bated like for the next George R. R. Martin novel, or who the 'Masked Singer' is after sitting through what seems like hours and hours of build up and pathetic puns...sorry about that. Plenty of players here wear all sorts of masks (warned you) like that Baz Luhrmann ball in 'Romeo + Juliet' however and it's up to James Bond himself Daniel Craig to reveal them like 'Mission: Impossible' before the fuse goes out (told you didn't I?). As Daniel Craig is on the 'Logan Lucky' lane changing form of his life like there is 'No Time To Die' and he was being introduced for the first time alongside 'Looper' trooper and frequent collaborator Noah Segan and 'Get Out', 'Sorry To Bother You' and 'Atlanta' Star Lakeith Stanfield doing the 'Uncut Gems' award tour on the commanding presence form of his life. But whose hands is the blood on?
Knives are out for writer/director Rian Johnson like they were with Star Wars fans for the much maligned 'The Last Jedi' sequel he made...but look whose got the last laugh and blood curdling scream now. The reawakening force of J.J. Abrams to the decades and trilogy making 'The Rise Of Skywalker' conclusion actually made for a movie moment a lot of fans saw as even woefully worse (we loved it...typical hey?) than 'The Last Jedi' (let alone the magnificent 'Mandalorian'). So much so it had critics walking back their previous caustic comments on Johnson's 'Jedi' (it really like 'Rise' wasn't that bad now was it?). Did they forget that 'Brick' director Rian Johnson also helmed the original sci-fi classic 'Looper' and the emotional 'Electric Dreams' like David Strathairn and Sissy Spacek LCD Soundsystem music video? And now he has an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay he should surely win like '1917' cinematography. In a 'Once Upon A Time', 'Marriage Story' with 'The Irishman' and 'The Joker' (let alone 'Jojo Rabbit' and those 'Little Women') Academy were the race in the major best categories is so wide open we couldn't even bet on a horse. How many does 'Skywalker' have? Karma! But whose holding the knife in this like the ones in the back of definitive directors fans troll on Twitter? Well let's look at the family tree of suspects. Surely it can't be Captain America himself, Steve Rogers? I mean the spangled stars and stripes of gifted actor Chris Evans...whatever it takes. Can it? Here in preppy winter coats and fishermen wool sweaters (check his Twitter timeline to see the strands of where this man's best friend iconic prop ended up), back on his comic, cocky by the book, Human Torch, 'Losers' crossbow and 'Scott Pilgrim' skateboarding leather douche s###. Back in his slicked bag eating Lotus biscuits by the pack, unlike the complimentary one you get with your coffee as he recommends everyone else dines on s###. He could do this all day and as he says "we've got to do this again sometime", you really hope he can like this sequel greenlit like his vintage beemer streaming down the leaves of the Autumn, Vermont like highways.
Knock, knock. Is it all nursed by 'Blade Runner 2049' hologram Ana de Armas however? Coming to life and Bond's Sherlock side before joining Daniel Craig for 'No Time To Die' this season. Stamped out of the Golsing android sequel, Armas was armed with real emotion that sold to us the artificial intelligence of her love like 'Her'. But now as real as life itself her talent is as genuine good as it gets. But still is her portrait hiding something behind that frame like the bespectacled legend Jamie Lee Curtis? She's already shotgun resurrected the 'Halloween' franchise more than once back from the dead. So like her Michael Myers (YEAH BABY!) muse she knows all about grave situations. Her hold here is undeniable. Just like 'Miami Vice' legend Don Johnson on the 'Cold In July', 'Django' rejuvenation of his career. But it's 'The Iceman' of the 'Shape Of Water' and 'Nocturnal Animals' Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon who weird and wonderful remains as 'Midnight Special' and 'The Current War' underrated as ever despite the Academy acclaim. His face has more character than there are All Star actors here. But with so much A List talent running in the family like 'Hereditary' it could be anyone...even Toni Collette. Whose money on the mind, spoilt rotten character has something of worth to say about the current state of Trump's America. Killing it with shots fired that say she has what it takes. Even 'Love Simon' and '13 Reasons Why' actress Katherine Langford could have killed said victim like her deleted 'Endgame' scene with Iron Man could have killed the rest of the Avengers (what was with that creepy "I love you 3000" whisper Tony?). Or how about 'IT' actor Jaeden Martell turning the armer tables on Pennywise out the gutter? He may stutter in Stephen King's novella adaptation, but here he's a man of even less words as he's glued to his phone like PVA or a moth attracted to the bright light of his rectangles screen. No need to flip a coin on this murder mystery that's been playing like one single piano key since Thanksgiving. Rian's last movie may have been a turkey, but this one is still gobbling all the leftovers up a New Year and a couple of weeks after Christmas. This slice is a cut above the rest. You have to witness it to find out. 'Out' really twists the knife in. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Further Filming: 'Murder On The Orient Express (2017)', 'Sherlock Holmes (2009)', 'Star Wars-The Last Jedi'.
No comments:
Post a Comment