Rian Johnson recently sat down with Mark Kermode to discuss his sleek contemporary take on the murder mystery genre
Even though the release of Rian Johnson‘s slick new murder mystery is still well over a month away, the visionary director has been eager to pump fuel into the engine of the hype train for Knives Out. The sleek contemporary whodunnit has garnered a succession of positive reviews following its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, and with the countdown on to its release, The Last Jedi director has been on the campaign trail to help spread the positive vibes.
Recently, the writer, producer and director took to the stage at the BFI London Film Festival and sat down with legendary UK film critic Mark Kermode to discuss the movie and his inspiration behind the project. Check it out:
Here’s the official line from the BFI:
Genre-hopping director Rian Johnson joins us to talk about his acclaimed career and the making of his fifth feature Knives Out: a wickedly witty and stylish murder mystery, which the Maryland-born filmmaker has described as “an attempt to capture the twisty fun of an Agatha Christie whodunit.” A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Johnson debuted with 2005’s Brick, which ingeniously transposed the stylized tropes of Dashiell Hammett’s hardboiled detective fiction to a Californian high school setting. Made for just $500,000 and boasting a memorable lead performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this fresh take on neo-noir won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at Sundance Film Festival.
Three years later, Johnson showed his comedic verve with globe-trotting conman caper The Brothers Bloom, before reuniting with Gordon-Levitt (starring alongside Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt) for 2012’s time-travelling sci-fi thriller Looper. A critical and commercial hit which further displayed his dazzling command of genre, its success led this most inventive of Hollywood auteurs to both write and direct Star Wars: The Last Jedi. A fearlessly bold continuation of the beloved space opera saga, the latter became the highest-grossing film of 2017 and one of the most successful movies of all time.
Here’s the synopsis for Knives Out:
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.
Personally, I cannot get enough of this retro murder mystery vibe Knives Out is oozing and I cannot wait to take my seat in my nearest multiplex to decipher the clues and identify the murderer. Alongside Daniel Craig and Chris Evans, Rian Johnson has amassed a wonderful all-star cast including Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.
Knives Out makes a killing at the box office from November 27th.
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Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager and Editor of Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter @philthecool where he uses the force frequently!
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Source: BFI
Author
Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
