As a self-proclaimed UNsocial butterfly, I was honestly looking forward to the lockdown a little bit. We may not have been able to watch any new releases at the cinema but with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ all available at the click of a button, I thought my days would be filled with films and box-sets galore. Unfortunately, the more time we had available the less we watched. And now that restrictions are easing a little, once again, I’m feeling the call of the streaming services. Strange, no?

Anyway, my strange somewhat rambling introduction aside, we decide to end our drought with Rian Johnson’s Oscar nominated murder mystery thriller/comedy, Knives Out.

As an homage to Agatha Christie, the story follows the tried and tested plot line: an old rich guy dies leaving behind a huge house and a vast fortune. Christopher Plummer plays the recently deceased patriarch, Harlan Thrombey, a millionaire author of murder mystery books whose apparent suicide the night of his 85th birthday sets the whole story in motion. His family, a spoilt entitled bunch of brats, all have plenty to gain and offer a fascinating range of characters that help keep this potentially stale genre feeling fresh. The question is, as always, whodunnit?

Leading the pool of suspects are Harlan’s sharp-tongued daughter Linda and her husband, the politically minded, Richard, played by Jaime Lee Curtis and Don Johnson respectively. Joni (Toni Collette) is the free spirited business owner of a ‘lifestyle product’ business and the widow of Harlan’s eldest son. Her somewhat air headed persona covers a shrewd woman underneath and is actually my favourite performance of the lot, although Chris Evans can certainly give her a run for her money as Hugh ‘Ransom’ Thrombey, the black sheep of the family.

Despite being the prime suspects, the majority of the cast act more as bystanders to the central relationship which consists of Harlan Thrombey’s personal nurse Marta (Ana de Armas) and private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

Although she is “part of the family”, the fact that none of the Thrombey clan knew Marta’s nationality indicates the shallowness and insincerity that permeates the entire family. Ana de Armas delivers a sweet yet captivating performance and she has a great on screen chemistry with Daniel Craig, whose southern drawl goes from annoying to charming rather quickly.

The film is well paced and beautifully shot, the set design is spectacular. The sheer number of artefacts and knick knacks in each room of the Thrombey Manor perfectly reflect how I would imagine an eccentric crime author’s house to look.

I would like to say that Johnson delivers something new and exciting but, let’s be honest, the whole whodunnit genre is a little too predictable. Whilst the twists and turns are as familiar to us as our drive home from work, Johnson’s delivery, witty script and the fantastic ensemble cast gives this film its spark.

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Knives Out is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.