The American detective film Knives Out is an incredibly difficult puzzle. A complicated case, the investigation of which is interesting for the viewer to watch. The film, shot in the neo-noir genre, is like a breath of fresh air among the huge variety of crime films. How did director Rian Johnson manage to create a compelling film? What is the meaning of the movie “Knives Out”?
What is ‘Knives Out’ about?
Harlan Thrombey has a goal – to reconcile his loved ones. To do this, the hero invited relatives to his mysterious house. In addition, the famous novelist is approaching a significant event – the celebration of the 85th anniversary. However, after the joyful event, the maid of the family saw a terrifying picture. The owner of the house had his throat cut. After the funeral, there were more questions than answers.
Detective Benoit Blanc takes on the investigation of a mysterious case. The policeman managed to find evidence for each member of the family, because they were all financially dependent on Harlan. During the investigative measures, the detective concluded that there had never been a sincere and trusting relationship between the household members. However, the Thrombey family also had questions for Blanc. It turns out that he is not a police officer, but a private detective who received an anonymous letter asking him to investigate a mysterious crime.
Blanc interrogates each member of the family in turn. Only the grandson of the deceased, Ransome, is missing from the house. A young man during a festive event quarreled with his grandfather and disappeared without a trace. Marta Cabrera was the last to be called in for questioning. The private nurse of the owner of the house became friends with Harlan, which earned him the respect of all family members. Martha has a strange feature. A woman is sick every time she tells a lie. Further events develop rapidly. Flashback shows what happened to the owner of the mansion on that ill-fated night. Is Martha the only one to blame for the death of the famous novelist, or was she ruthlessly framed by someone? what motives prompted the killer to take this desperate step?
Meaning of “Knives Out”
The film “Knives Out” is not only a film about the investigation of a mysterious murder. This picture shows the negative qualities of people, human vices. Duplicity, commercialism, meanness emerge from the characters when it comes to inheritance. The director does not focus on the denouement, because the viewer learns about it in the first part of the film. The author of the film is much more interested in revealing the images of the characters, their secret dreams and desires, their goals and priorities.
Thrombi family. Intelligent, decent and wealthy people. But this is only at first glance. During interrogations, each of the family members shows their true nature, they are revealed from a new side. Households are not very interested in the mystery of the death of the owner of the house. They need to get an inheritance under any circumstances. For the sake of this goal, relatives are even ready to reconcile after a long quarrel and unite to achieve the goal. The director clearly and accurately conveys to the viewer the images of the characters, their inner world, which is actually each of Thrombo’s.
For the sake of achieving their own benefit, people are ready for anything. This idea is what the director is trying to convey to the audience. The death of a loved one fades into the background. Thirst for profit, money, material wealth – these are the true goals of the characters. Despite the similarity of life values, the image of each hero is unique.
A rich, unhackneyed, intriguing film with an incredible cast is about people. The detective, unraveling the mysterious case, focuses on each member of the family. All the alleged killers are in the same house. Throughout the film, the viewer has the opportunity to independently guess who is to blame for the death of Harlan. Each suspect has “his own skeleton in the closet.” Each character has a motive, but who crossed the line and decided to commit a crime? But even this question does not interest the heroes. After all, a huge fortune is at stake.
The film “Knives Out” is not a passing tape that is forgotten after the first viewing. This is an eventful, bright, exciting picture that makes the viewer think about the true values of life.
The meaning of the ending of the movie “Knives Out”
An unexpected and intriguing ending to the film. The director managed to brightly and beautifully put the final point. The film “Knives Out” once again confirms that “the secret always becomes clear.” Ransom did a great job of covering up the evidence, but he didn’t succeed. The whole Thrombey family united, then quarreled. They were almost not worried about the progress of the investigation of the mysterious case, they did not worry about the sudden loss of a loved one. They were tormented exclusively by the money issue.
Martha felt the loss of Harlan deeply. The nurse blamed herself for what happened, however, she was ruthlessly framed. Harlan became close to an open and honest girl. He felt that it was she who deserved his inheritance. The whole family was left with nothing. Having shown all their negative qualities, their vices, Trombey’s characters do not find support among the audience. The point of the ending of Knives Out is that money rules a lot of people. Moral and family values do not matter.
