With the writing already being superb, Johnson also knocked the direction of the film out of the part. Managing to make a film that is predominately set in one location for two hours and ten minutes so thrilling and lively, while mainly moving forward off of dialogue rather than actions (at least in the first two acts), is a tougher feat that some would care to admit, and yet the film is so wildly engaging from start to finish thanks to brilliant directing and extremely witty and poignant writing. Keep in mind, this is only Rian Johnson’s fifth feature length film and already it feels as if we are seeing the birth of a new auteur in cinema.

Ana de Armas in Knives Out (2019)

If you have read any of my other reviews, you know how big of a sucker I am for a great combination of strong cinematography and a memorable musical score. Like Johnson’s other work, Knives Out delivers in spades. The Director of Photography for the film was Steve Yedlin (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and as expected from his previous work with Johnson, the result is spectacular to say the least. So many shots throughout the film ooze with style, feeling as if they were lifted straight from a murder mystery comic book or graphic novel. The emphasis on kinesis through the camera lens is so on point over the course of the film, specifically in the sequence of the reading of the Last Will and Testament. As for the score, it was composed by Nathan Johnson, longtime collaborator and cousin of Rian. From the very opening, the music falls off the screen, overtaking your hearing, and sticking to your brain with a very strong usage of violins to set the tone of the film. While not as great as the scores for Ad Astra and Joker, Nathan Johnson’s composition for this movie is a highlight and something I cannot wait to re-listen to over and over again upon its release.

Just an aside, but I fully expect the toxic Star Wars “Fans” to come out in spades when the film releases at the end of November in trashing the film online without seeing it or trying to bombard review websites with negative reviews, again, without actually seeing the film. As a self-professed Star Wars fan, I will admit how awful that fandom is. Who knows though, maybe I am totally wrong and this will go off without a hitch, people will go see Knives Out and actually have dignified discussions rather than sending death threats to actresses. This is without a doubt Johnson’s most political film to date, bringing in his beliefs in regards to class, race, and the American political system all into the backdrop of the film, while also imbuing each of the key cast with their own personal ideologies that play out over the course of the film either overtly in their dialogue, or subtly in the background of scenes. To say this may raise a few eyebrows from some of his harsher “critics” would be an understatement *cough cough Jaeden Martell’s character cough cough*.