Classic detective stories with a certain circle of suspects, as in the best works of Agatha Christie, have not hit the big screens for a long time. Knives Out fixed that by providing audiences with a murder puzzle and a diverse and fairly recognizable cast.

So, in the center of the plot is the rich writer Harlan Thrombey. He gathers all the heirs in a huge house to celebrate his 85th birthday. The celebration is accompanied by quarrels, about which the parties to the conflict prefer to remain silent. However, they will have to be told about, because at the end of the holiday Thrombi is found dead. The police and the famous detective Benoit Blanc, whom someone anonymously hired to investigate the case, have to understand what happened. In order to quickly find the killer, Blanc arranges an interrogation. He gradually reveals the secrets, as well as the thirst to master the heritage, which all members of the family are obsessed with.

The film attracts not only the detective genre, but also a set of actors. Here you can find the most unexpected faces: Christopher Plummer (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Chris Evans (Captain America), Toni Collette (Hereditary), Don Johnson (Django Unchained), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why), Jaden Martell (It), Anu De Armas (Blade Runner 2049).

All actors are conducted by Daniel Craig, who got the role of a detective. Here, Craig allows himself to loosen up and let go of his familiar 007 image. He squints at suspects, asks derisive questions, and conducts an allegedly nonchalant investigation. Some of the clues come across to his hero quite by accident, the other part he ignores, and somewhere he is completely distracted by his own singing in the car.

Writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick; Star Wars: The Last Jedi) came up with the idea to bring the classic detective genre back to feature-length cinema with a new sleuth. He is a big fan of unexpected twists, so writing a twisted story about a murder was within his power.

Rian Johnson sets the film on a brisk pace, immediately allowing Craig’s character to immerse himself in the nuances of the murder that took place. So the director gradually gives the viewer pieces of the puzzle of the overall picture, complementing it with a large number of details in the interior of the house. Johnson encourages you to peer into each frame and listen to the testimony, and then suddenly turns events upside down.

At one point, everything becomes clear, and the film dramatically changes direction. If so, don’t be disappointed. First, because the plot is just as interesting. Secondly, because this is not the end.

In addition, Rian Johnson is ironic, putting social meanings into the basis of his picture. The house in which the murder takes place becomes the image of the USA. It gathers conservative Republicans, liberals, as well as representatives of migrants. They argue among themselves and remain tolerant of each other only up to a certain point, until the struggle for territory comes to the fore.

Thanks to the cast and the brisk pace of the film, this is really fun to watch. Despite the fact that the timing of the picture is not eternal, all the leading actors manage to introduce their characters, demonstrating their main qualities. In some places, this turns out to be a comedy, proving that the detective does not have to plunge into oppressive colors.

By the way, about paints. In Knives Out, unlike other films with a criminal plot, there are no muted tones. The costume designers select bright clothes for the characters, and the cinematographer Steve Yedlin takes close-ups, along the way adding an eccentric interior of the house to the frame.

All of this suggests that Knives Out could reach a large audience that goes to the movies for distraction. So it is, in two hours the film captivates, laughs and offers to make up your own version of what is happening. So lovers of detective stories, tired of gloomy manic plots, should like it.

There are a few plot flaws in the film, but it’s probably not worth talking about them before watching. They, by the way, in the end do not spoil the picture, created solely for entertainment.