🎬 Movie🎭 Teens · Ages 14–17Mystery / Thriller

Knives Out (2019)

Name: Knives Out
Released: 2019

About This Movie

When a wealthy mystery novelist is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday party, a flamboyant detective begins investigating his large, dysfunctional family, every member of whom had a motive and every one of whom is lying about something. Rian Johnson's film is a love letter to Agatha Christie that also finds clever ways to subvert the whodunit formula, keeping you guessing even when you think you know the truth. The ensemble cast is having the time of their lives, and Daniel Craig's Southern-fried detective is an absolute delight.

Why It's a Classic

Johnson reinvigorated the murder mystery genre by building a film that works as both a faithful whodunit and a sharp satire of wealth, privilege, and American immigration politics. Ana de Armas's Marta, the dead man's nurse and a daughter of undocumented immigrants, is the film's moral center, and the way the mystery ultimately becomes about whether a good person can survive a system designed to protect the powerful gives the genre real thematic weight. Craig's Benoit Blanc is one of the great modern screen detectives, a character so entertaining that he spawned a franchise. The film earned over $311 million worldwide and proved that original, non-franchise storytelling could still command massive audiences if the execution was sharp enough.

Fun Fact

Johnson has said that the famous donut-hole monologue, where Blanc describes 'a donut hole in the donut's hole,' was written as a deliberate test to see whether he could make total nonsense sound profound through sheer conviction of delivery. Chris Evans reportedly lobbied hard for the role of Ransom because he wanted to play against his Captain America image, and his sweater in the film became an internet sensation.

Parent Note

The film contains a death by apparent suicide (later revealed as more complex), some violence, strong language, a vomiting gag played for comedy, and references to drug use. The family's casual cruelty and entitlement are played satirically. Very accessible and entertaining for all teens, with sharp writing that rewards close attention.