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'Knives Out' is an absolutely wonderful murder-mystery

by Anthony Herring Over the past 15 years or so, you might have heard of a writer/director named Rian Johnson. His first film, 2005’s Brick, was a small, independent venture that soon became a cult classic, and helped to establish Johnson as a unique up-and-comer. His subsequent directorial efforts, such as three episodes of the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad and the breakout film Looper, practically made Johnson into a name that people were familiar with, but wasn’t quite a household one yet. That all changed in 2017, when his newest film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi released. While it did receive acclaim from critics, it completely divided the franchise’s fanbase. While many fans considered it to be one of the best—if not the bestStar Wars film, others outright hated it, believing that Johnson took far too many creative liberties with iconic characters, and even went so far as to say that the director “ruined their childhoods.” Despite the polarizing response to The Last Jedi, Johnson’s career continued to flourish, having secured a writing/directing credit on a new Star Wars trilogy (which has yet to be officially announced). In the meantime, Johnson has gone back to making original films, such as Knives Out. The film, acting as a homage to classic “whodunits” from the 1970s and 1980s, follows a private investigator named Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Blanc’s task is to figure out who was responsible for the death of Harlan Thrombey—played by Christopher Plummer—the wealthy head of the Thrombey/Drysdale family. With crafting this caper, Johnson definitely stuck the landing—albeit with a couple minor stumbles.

Greatness from slow beginnings

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All in the family

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Knives Out Blade Runner 2049

Surely you can’t be serious

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Knives Out It
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