Knives out

Would you rig the game when you are dealt the wrong hand? Could a crime be so presumptuously intricate that it requires 3 levels of fabrications to obtain a glimpse of the truth? With such bewildering objectives in mind, Rian Johnson set out to create a gracious effort to portray the principle of working. Pondering over the plot for 3 days, it seems that it contains no loopholes or workarounds. Thus, I would describe this movie as well though, a convoluted yet singularly aimed, piece of cinema that beautifully engrosses the audience in the crime drama and delivers a climax not expected but duly anticipated.

Set in the outskirts of American county stands an old, gorgeous, antiquated mansion full of mahogany accents and period décor. Smelling of tobacco and yellow-papered books, the library sets the tone of a grim, sombre narration. The mansion has a lot of rooms and even more secrets. Dark Cherry brown leather chairs and a myriad of old books propagate the apparent detective impression, that conveys the subconscious idea of a mystery to follow. Something is afoot with this whole affair, I know it, and you do too!

The photography and cinematography are impressive with close-angled personal shots being on-focus and effective at depicting even minute emotions of the characters. Camera works on the suspenseful will reading scene perfectly showed the calm and composed decorum which broke to riot and anarchy at the turn of unfortunate news. This was perfectly propagated in the camerawork that showed smooth transitions and close face angles to assert calm and anticipation in the air, but a shaky and fast-pacing motion of the camera to assert a total disruption of order.

I couldn't find a flaw in the story, which says a lot about the excessive attention to detail. Making sure an aficionado doesn't ruin this pristine piece of narration, intensive attention to foolproof all plot points are duly done. It is surprising, even ridiculous to imagine a murder mystery where the actual perpetrator has a condition not to speak any lie and the masterpiece brilliance is to trick the authorities into making them believe her innocence. The amazing subtly incorporated in the script expresses a lot of information but the important pieces shrouded in the subtle dialogues that take a keen ear(in cases of subtitles a keen eye) to catch and inspect, support the frivolous yet realistic narration.

It is a delight to see Daniel Craig dressed in an Englishmen suit complemented with a ridiculous Texan accent. The mismatch of such drastic personality traits makes his character the centerpiece of the story and the most interesting character followed by Christopher Plummer (the author). His simple ideal minded attitude till the 4th act portrays him as a placid, passive detective on par with your average Joe. In the 5th fact, the revealing of a crucial fact that sheds a new perspective on the crime, did he utilize his superior cognitive abilities? His smart deductions, irrefutable claims and strong explanations to back his theories leave the audience in awe yet perplexed at their incompetency to conclude the obvious. Another of his abilities to pick up the subtly in terms of attitude, tone and minute details in a person's speech make him a realistic detective that dwells primarily on facts and the power of observation instead of pulling evidence from thin air.

Not beating around the bush, the movie is good, working with its strength and utilizing a few well-known actors to bind a compelling story play. It is a twisted web of lies, betrayal and knives that leads from one conclusion to another in a swift manner, but in the end, untangled by some shrewd guesswork, masquerades a bit of luck. A pretty lousy murderer is proven innocent and all threads are tightly tied together.

Neatly done!