KNIVES OUT / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: RIAN JOHNSON / STARRING: DANIEL CRAIG, ADA de ARMAS, CHRIS EVANS, JAMIE LEE CURTIS, MICHAEL SHANNON, DON JOHNSON, TONI COLLETTE, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 30TH

Special Features: Audio commentary /In-theatre commentary / Three featurettes / Viral ads / Director and cast Q&A / Gallery / Deleted scenes / Trailers

For director Rian Johnson, it was a bold move for him to follow-up his opinion-splitting Star Wars: The Last Jedi with a classic whodunnit film. In a select space of cinema where every clichéd plot twist and mystery has been overdone to death, could Johnson manage to craft a stellar and original tale, or is Knives Out merely another lather-rinse-repeat offering that struggles to break free from the shackles of a tired, oft-played out genre? Let’s find out.

At the heart of any good suspense tale of course, there has to be the proverbial MacGuffin which spurs the story on. And here in Knives Out, said MacGuffin is the peculiar death of minted crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Plummer). Found deceased on his 85th birthday, Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc is soon on the case as he looks to discover who, what, and why Harlan was offed. With a slew of suspects all with plausible reason to have taken Harlan’s life, Blanc has to navigate a sea of red herrings and shenanigans in his quest for the truth. And to discuss the plot of this gem of a feature any further would be veering towards spoiler territory, so let’s just hold our tongue there.

You may have guessed that we enjoyed Knives Out. We did, a lot. This is the sort of genre offering that makes you remember why you’re a genre fan in the first place. But not just is this for genre fans, for Knives Out is simply an all-out great movie which any sort of audience or fandom can appreciate on a whole host of levels and for a wide variety of reasons – not least Daniel Craig’s dry, delicate cadence as the detective in the middle of this puzzle. That said, you could pick any single one of the cast and praise just how flawless of a job they do with what’s on the table for them here.

Away from the shrouded-in-mystery main feature, this swanky 4K release includes an impressive stash of additional content. The in-theatre commentary track is a matchless piece of bonus material, and the viral ads introducing each member of the Thrombey family is a nice touch. Elsewhere, plentiful featurettes and some standard deleted scenes, interviews, and trailers flesh out an all-round brilliant release.

Rarely in the landscape of modern cinema do we get something that feels genuinely fresh, dynamic, engaging, and outright entertaining, yet Knives Out manages that task with aplomb. From the performances of the movie’s fantastic ensemble cast, to the style and direction of Rian Johnson and his team, to the central, ever-changing narrative at the core of the picture, Knives Out marks itself out as one of the best genre offerings to have come around in years.