I had been neglecting this franchise for a long time until yesterday I decided to finally check out Wake Up Dead Man, the most recent installment within it. It was an incredibly nice surprise to return to the mystery murder genre and see the creativity that came with Rian Johnson's directing. I didn't even really know he was capable of creating such amazing visuals! The story was really engaging, finding really creative ways to expand upon its characters and tell a story that felt fresh within a genre that is often overlooked. After watching Wake Up Dead Man, I knew I was going to enjoy the rest, and here I am, having now seen Knives Out and looking forward to watching the second film within the series. Oh, and yes, you can watch these films in any order. They're different stories with different characters, though often featuring the same cast as before. Which was also a nice thing to see, given the variety in performances it offered.
I think having seen the most recent film within the franchise set me up for this one though. I knew it would've be the same. I knew it would've have the exactly style of storytelling, nor the same level of creative visuals. Not for any particular reasons other than this being the first film to release but also just a different story. And I quite like these murder mystery stories for that very reason: each one has a different setup. Each one features new locations, characters, and just does things in a different manner. And that was very evident from the start here with Knives Out, where the story almost immediately jumps into the murder, while showing us a series of intricate little lies that are being told to the detectives in the storytelling process. Though the audience, we see the truth. The 'white lies' that are being built up that show new directions within that mystery. Money, of course, being the main thing that the film glances over to begin with.
What I did like is how many of the main characters have the same style, for example our detective played by Daniel Craig still features his US southern accent. Still has a bit of that notion to himself. Though a different appearance in terms of clothing and how he displays himself. Here he's more kept. Visually the film has a similar look, still shot on 35mm film stock and having that beautiful high textured grain that makes the film feel very comforting to look at. It makes for some really beautiful interior shots where the colours are warm and the light rolls off nicely into the shadows without too much of a change in contrast. I do think visually I preferred Wake Up Dead Man, but this is more or less the same thing in terms of tone. The story remains as engaging, however. In its own way with the characters it produces and the narrative surrounding the wealth and elegance, as is often the case in many of these stories.
As is the case with a film like this: there's not a whole lot to say about the narrative. It's very easy to dive a bit too into things and mention things that could spoil it for someone else. So I'll be refraining from mentioning major aspects of the story beyond its setup. But it's very engaging to watch as the characters figure things out, as the characters and their lies slowly come back to bite them. I also loved the way in which the main detective was hired: even he is unaware of who hired him. Having received a sum of cash and a note telling him to come and investigate. The story really handles these aspects of mystery really well, down to the many actions the characters had that influenced the outcome we saw at the start, a murder.
I'm quite surprised by Rian Johnson's directing. I think in recent years he has started to find a direction and really put in some of his skill. Perhaps Star Wars was just never for him, perhaps it was the studio meddling all along. As Knives Out has really displayed a type of film that no other is really doing anymore within western cinema. It's refreshing to see. The revival of the murder mystery genre and genuinely creative filmmaking.
