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Knives Out had a very robust run in movie theaters at the tail end of last year, but it has only been since the movie has headed onto Blu-ray, DVD and Digital that more fun details related to the movie have come out. This includes a very clever Harlan Thrombey Easter egg that was added to Rian Johnson’s film and the director has confirmed the addition.
If you’ve watched Knives Out, you may have already noticed the portrait of Harlan Thrombey, patriarch of the Thrombey clan, which pops up throughout the film. One Eagle-eyed social media user caught that the portrait changes as the mystery surrounding the movie’s murder plotline is ultimately solved. Take a look at the update to the portrait below.
You have to think this was intentional and, in fact, on the Blu-ray disc Rian Johnson does talk about why the creative team made the change to the portrait in the movie. According to the DVD extras, Rian Johnson confirmed the change was made both as a nod for the fans and because it plays into the narrative with Ana de Armas’ character, Marta. He said:
Sharp eyes will notice that we did a little tweak to the painting. It's been very stern through the whole thing, and at the end, he's got a little bit of a smile towards Ana. So, if you saw that the first time and thought you were crazy, you're not crazy. That's just a nice little 'you did it, kid.' And her reactions a little more ambiguous than that, like 'What did you just put me through?' Rightly so.
Rian Johnson has gone on (and on and on) about not setting up his thriller as a typical whodunnit. In fact, we learn “whodunnit” very early on and the journey to Knives Out’s ultimately satisfying conclusion is one of surprising twists and turns that few probably saw coming.
However, like some other whodunnits, Knives Out is filled with Eater eggs. Rian Johnson has been talking about his movie a lot – which makes sense as Benoit Blanc is soon going to be a franchise character – and has previously confirmed some of the other Easter eggs in the movie. Some of these Easter eggs have been pretty detailed and would pretty much only be for the most astute of viewers, but the one with the portrait may have popped out to some.
While we wait to see more from Daniel Craig in the Benoit Blanc role, there are plenty of other fun nods that can be found within Knives Out, including nods to Breaking Bad and more. You can see for yourself if you purchase the full set, available now.
