Rian Johnson kills it with a modern murder mystery masterpiece.

Regardless of your thoughts on The Last Jedi, the sheer level of stick Rian Johnson received off the back of it felt entirely uncalled for. The film had its faults, for sure, but it is what it is – an unmistakably Rian Johnson Star Wars movie.

Despite much teeth gnashing from all corners of the internet, The Last Jedi was always going to be what you get when you hire the idiosyncratic talent behind Brick and Looper to direct a Star Wars instalment. In the end, such a monster of a franchise may have been an awkward fit for Johnson’s distinctive sensibilities, but it’s hard to argue that the end result wasn’t at least unique.

Whether it’s the neo-noir stylings of Brick, the time travel sci-fi of Looper, or even the caper comedy of The Brothers Bloom, through his off-kilter approach to established genres, Johnson has carved out a nice little niche all to himself. The fallout from The Last Jedi was certainly unfortunate, however, it’s heartening to see that the criticism hasn’t got to the director, as he heads straight back into the game and kills it in the only way he knows how.

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday, officious and urbane private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired to investigate. With fowl play afoot, Benoit and the police must battle red herrings, lies, and petty family squabbles to uncover the truth behind the untimely death. But with deceit and backstabbing all part of the Thrombey family tradition, absolutely everyone is a prime suspect.

At their best, there are few viewing experiences quite as satisfying as a well told whodunit. Whether on the big or small screen, the thrill of a gradually unravelling murder mystery is one of those simple but effective pleasures that lure you in and keep you hooked, even against your better judgement.

Sure, they can be cheesy as hell and riddled with cliché, yet that hasn’t lessened the genre’s enduring appeal. Despite, or even because of, its dated appearance, the murder mystery is a genre ripe for a modern interpretation and there’s no one out there right now better suited for the job than Rian Johnson.

Ever since the days of Brick, Johnson’s love of a good whodunit has been abundantly clear, and while his approach this time around isn’t quite as leftfield as his debut, it’s certainly no less thrilling. While the results may divide opinion, Johnson has never shied away from a challenge, always looking to put his unique spin on any long-established genre or franchise going, with Knives Out marking the director’s most wholly satisfying attempt to date.

With a tact that’s both carefree and immaculately curated, Knives Out is a razor-sharp, freewheeling delight that operates as both a shrewd parody and a highly stylised celebration of the murder mystery. Residing in an odd, timeless space between eras, Knives Out is very much a modern interpretation of the whodunit, yet possesses all the classic hallmarks of the genre.

With a grand country mansion and exaggerated characters mixing it with dark, overtly contemporary themes, the film plays out somewhere between the scenery-chewing camp of Clue and a candid, politically astute crime drama, resulting in the best of both worlds. Although it constantly walks a knife edge between parody and sincerity, the film finds a way to work with both in an approach that embraces its absurdities while refusing to hold back on its potent social messages.

If you’re going to play in the murder mystery sand box, there’s certainly no room for half measures. You’re either all-in or not at all. Thankfully, Rian Johnson is fully aware of this as he immerses himself in the twists, turns, and clichés of the genre, moulding them all to his will through some of the finest writing of his career.

Leaning all the way into the whodunit’s inherent eccentricities, Johnson’s script pops with just the right level of wit and verve to breathe life into what can be a rather dusty old genre. Well-paced, with twists and turns in all the right places, the plot keeps you on your toes throughout, while the enthralling, snappy dialogue never misses a beat.

Of course, any whodunit will quite literally live or die on its central mystery and Knives Out certainly delivers with a setup that offers exactly what you paid for…and then some. Complex without confusing things, the writing never gets bogged down with the convoluted mechanics of its plot, instead drip-feeding you just what you need to know while undermining expectations at every turn.

It may be a little over elaborate at times but that’s all part of the fun. Whodunits are overtly intricate by nature, but rather than fight this, Knives Out actively embraces it, fully acknowledging the ridiculousness of its premise and running with it.

Smartly unfurling the tightly-coiled insanity of the plot, Rian Johnson pulls out some of the finest writing of his career, which is really saying something considering just how flawless Brick’s dialogue was. Living up to its name, Knives Out’s script is as sharp as they come, mixing heightened farce with witty, jabbing tête-à-têtes that keeps the pace flowing nicely, making impeccable use of every minute of the film’s running time.

Balancing operatic melodrama, broad slapstick, and some of the driest wit around, Knives Out is a heady concoction that takes its heightened environment and owns it. Popping with colour and antiquated style, the film’s setting is like a game of Cluedo brought to life…then thrown across the room in a fit of competitive rage.

Like the iconic board game, each of Knives Out’s characters has their colour-coded motif, with cinematographer Steve Yedlin continuing his eye-catching work with Rian Johnson on The Last Jedi, as blues, greens, whites, purples, and mustards pop off the screen like the most murderous spectrum you’ve ever seen. 

Feeding off this, the cast is a colourful collection that look to be having an absolute blast with the material. Gloriously hammy without overstepping the mark, every member of the ensemble is clearly having the time of their lives, delivering dialogue that could’ve easily fallen flat in less enthusiastic hands.

Embracing their collective franchise freedoms, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans are having a whale of the time away from the tuxedo and shield as they dive into their roles with gleeful abandon. Evans’ spoilt brat playboy will inspire pure disdain in the best possible way, while Craig’s magnificently overcooked Foghorn Leghorn accent and Kentucky Fried Poirot mannerisms are a sight to behold. 

That’s not to say that the scenery chewing is confined to the male cast members as the film’s women more than hold their own. Jamie Lee Curtis is a tightly-wound ball of WASP-ish derision, while Toni Collette’s Cali-girl lifestyle guru is an absolute scene stealer, yet the star of the show is the relatively understated Ana de Armas.

As the heart of the film and the closest thing we get to a protagonist, de Armas’ Marta is caught in the eye of the shit storm but manages to hold our empathy throughout. It’s a tough job considering the amplified antics swirling around her, but while she plays things far straighter than the rest of the cast, de Armas absolutely nails the bewilderment and confusion of someone dragged into such a murderous familial clusterfuck.

Make no mistake, every one of the suspects around Marta is a hideously entitled, disreputable human being. The ensemble’s complete lack of redeeming qualities makes for an incredibly entertaining watch, as it gives the viewer scant few characters to root for, and despite the fun to be had in this complete lack of morals, there’s certainly a need for someone like Marta to provide a glimmer of hope in the dark. Or is this butter-wouldn’t-melt innocence just what she wants you to think? Who knows. 

The fact that the core of the film is a kindly, compassionate Latino nurse working for an entitled, aristocratic white family may seem like nothing more than a plot devise at first, yet on closer inspection, it means everything. Despite its pulpy appearance, Knives Out is a barbed social commentary that stabs at the heart of the dispiriting state of Trump-era America.

While the approach is far from subtle, Rian Johnson uses the platform of a broad, old-fashioned whodunit to approach a painfully real-world issue, as Marta and her immigrant family are used, abused, and blackmailed by the various members of the Thrombey family. As the opulence and grandeur of the family residence hides dark secrets, so too does the Knives Out’s fun and frivolous appearance, with a surprisingly piercing political edge hidden beneath all the knockabout Cluedo shenanigans.

With a cast to die for and a director returning from a galaxy far, far away back to what he does best, Knives Out is a razor-sharp, highly entertaining modern take on the classic murder mystery. Planting his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rian Johnson has shaken off the Star Wars backlash and appears a man reborn, clearly having a whale of a time with the kind of mid-budget genre fare he built his name on. Blessed with dialogue so sharp you could put an eye out with it, a lacerating political edge, and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end, Knives Out is an enthralling, infinitely entertaining murder mystery for the ages.