Rian Johnson may be known by a select few Star Wars fans as the man who ruined the franchise with The Last Jedi – something which I disagree with as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. He is still a remarkable filmmaker and one who is highly respected in the industry. His name regularly attracts the best talent. Don’t believe me? Well just take a look at his new movie Knives Out.
We don’t know much about the plot, other than that it is part murder mystery, part thriller with the only synopsis given describing the film as, “A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.” This sounds like something akin to an Agatha Christie novel I would imagine, but perhaps infused with a lot more humour as is Johnson’s nature.
However, it’s not the plot that has me interested in the movie, but the remarkable line-up of stars that have signed onto this film. In various roles as family members, detectives, and the murder victims, the film stars Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Katherine Langford, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Frank Oz, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Raul Castillo, Shyrley Rodriguez, Edi Patterson and Johnson’s regular collaborator, Noah Segan. Okay, breathe. Yes, this all this remarkable acting talent is in just one movie.
Needless to say Knives Out is a film worth looking out for and it will be interesting to see how Johnson balances all this remarkable talent in one story. If you are a little unsure who all these actors are or want some more info on what roles they could end up playing in the movie, Screen Rant has a worthwhile exclusive on this remarkable cast. Knives Out is due for release on November 27th and could be a fun outing at the cinema before the big blockbusters arrive in December.
Last Updated: June 27, 2019
For the Emperor!
June 27, 2019 at 08:29
I don’t know or follow specific directors unless they really do something “special” to me, whether good or bad. The fact that I know his name…and for the wrong reasons…
Don’t get me wrong, a lot was good and fun in The Last Jedi, but so much was wasted as well. Come to think of it: the good stuff was probably related to his direction? And the bad stuff was his writing! So he could be a decent director for all I know, but definitely a shitty writer in the SciFi genre.
Skyblue
June 27, 2019 at 09:44
Yeah so calling Rian Johnson a “shitty writer in the SciFi genre” is not a fair description of his work simply because you didn’t enjoy his vision/direction for a much maligned franchise. Watch Looper and tell me he’s a bad writer.
Original Heretic
June 27, 2019 at 09:52
Looper? You mean that movie with Swiss cheese-like plot holes?
Skyblue
June 27, 2019 at 10:00
All time travel movies have Swiss cheese-like plot holes. Primer and Safety Not Guaranteed being the exceptions.
Kervyn Cloete
June 27, 2019 at 10:06
Yeah, when it comes to time travel, you gotta cut some slack. Terminator 2 is one of the greatest action films ever made and yet it completely and utterly fucks up the perfectly logical story of the first film. It’s plot hole city.
There are very few films that manage to avoid the pitfalls of time travel simple because it can get so ridiculously complex to make it all line up. Check out Predestination, Primer, Timecrimes if you want to see it done properly, but then also prepare to feel like your brain is being shattered into tiny pieces.
Original Heretic
June 27, 2019 at 10:25
The highlight of that movie for me was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He did a very good young Willis.
Kervyn Cloete
June 27, 2019 at 10:00
See also: Brick, Brothers Bloom and his work on Breaking Bad. He had a few hiccups on The Last Jedi (and no, I don’t have an issue with the bigger stuff like the handling of Luke, but rather just poor general screenwriting like pointless character “arcs”) but Johnson is undeniably a very talented director and writer.
For the Emperor!
June 27, 2019 at 11:46
My biggest gripe, was how the character of Finn was wasted in the movie. I was excited to see his character development. Then he also, IMO, showed a lack of logic* regarding many space-war related stuff. Some of the hater kick-back was just that, haters.
*As much as “logic” applies to space-wars since we have not yet been in one in this galactic cycle 😛
Kervyn Cloete
June 27, 2019 at 13:00
yeah, the entire Canto Bight sequence and Finn’s whole arc there was just nonsense filler that amounted to nothing. I like his and Rose’s relationship and there are some great looking moments, but the rest of it is just busywork to keep his character doing something while having next to zero impact on the main story.
For the Emperor!
June 27, 2019 at 11:40
He’s a bad writer in the SciFi genre. There, I said it again. Now what?