The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the places where movies looking to make a name for themselves at the end of the year make their debut. The buzz that starts here can potentially carry a film all the way to the Oscars if everything hits just right. If the name of the game getting noticed, than Rian Johnson's new film, Knives Out, may have won TIFF, as the movie is getting massive praise coming off its premiere.
The movie is a whodunit with an incredible cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Collete, Jamie Lee Curtis and more. It mixes the mystery with more than a little comedy, and based on the critics response, the cocktail that comes together is one of the most delicious of the year. The L.A. Times especially loves the mystery element, which it compares to one of the greatest mystery writers of all time...
Knives Out: Come for the grand cast and the all-you-can-eat-the-rich buffet; stay for a classical whodunit worthy of John Dickson Carr in its hilarity and sheer ingenuity of construction. Goodness, what a delight.
Like the western, the whodunit is a genre that it seems we just don't get in film anymore. It's a difficult story to put together because the writing has to be absolutely top notch. The story has to have all the elements necessary for the audience to be able to solve it themselves, but it also has to be done in such a way that the solution isn't too easy. The best scenario is when the audience doesn't put all the pieces together, but feels like they should have been able to.
While I can't speak to the mystery of the thing, pretty much everybody who saw Knives Out is talking about how smart and well written the story is overall, so Rian Johnson is probably doing backflips right now, as both the writer and director of the film. Fandango is also sure to credit the film's humor, which also works perfectly.
Knives Out is flat-out awesome in every way. The funniest film I have seen this year - clever-as-hell writing & glorious performances (Daniel Craig steals the film).
It's difficult not to be infected by the excitement for Knives Out. It's certainly not unusual for critics to agree about a movie in general. While there are always exceptions, most of the pros will feel the same way about a movie, but it's rare to see so many people not simply agree that a movie is good, but agree that it is excellent. Thrillist loved the way the movie kept changing, keeping the audience on their toes.
Knives Out is such fun!! absolutely perfect cast, every punchline lands, just a lovely freewheeling caper with a twisty story that morphs into something new every ten minutes. loved it!!!!
While critics may have loved the film, sometimes general audiences don't always agree with critics. However, Slashfilm very much feels that people will love Knives Out, as it may be one of the most purely entertaining movies in years.
Knives Out: I’m giddy. This is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in years. Hilarious, clever as hell, and loaded with great performances. People are gonna love it.
If there's a downside to all this hype, it's that those of us who weren't lucky enough to attend the Toronto International Film Festival have a bit of a wait to see this apparently excellent film. Knives Out won't hit theaters until November 27.
