Knives Out is a fun comedy-mystery "whodunnit" movie that I really enjoyed! It features a great cast and great actors that I really like such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, and Michael Shannon, who is once again playing a sleazy, cold-hearted antagonist who is one of the suspects. The movie features Daniel Craig as the chief inspector/detective solving the case, and he creates a new movie character that is similar to other classic detectives but unique and original in his own regard. A murder was committed in a mansion and everyone is a suspect. The main lead in the movie (and one of the suspects) is Ana de Armas who plays a the patriarch's assistant.
What I love about this movie is that even once you know the outcome, it's still a fun movie to watch again and enjoy a second time. (I enjoyed this one twice so far).
2022's
Death on the Nile was not as good, in my opinion. It's a remake of a 1970s version that I haven't seen so I didn't know the outcome. However the movie could have used a bit more humor in my opinion. It stars and is directed by Kenneth Branaugh, who is a fan of the Poirot detective mysteries, but I feel something didn't work about the movie. Maybe it was the cast. Maybe it was that I just didn't care about the characters enough to invest emotionally into it. I don't recommend it.
Another take on Death on the Nile from She Likes MoviesFinally on a related theme, I watched the 1976 spoof of murder mysteries Murder By Death, which was written directly for the screen by Neil Simon, a fan of mysteries who wanted to make an homage. The detectives that are spoofed are Poirot (played by James Coco), Marples (played by Elsa Lanchester), Nick and Nora, Sam Spade, and Charlie Chan, a Chinese detective which today modern audiences would consider an outdated and offensive character due to his stereotypical presentation. Back in the 70s, I think the audience of the time would be more familiar with the character. Peter Sellers plays the role in "yellowface" makeup and heavy accent. He's trying to make fun of character, but its also offensive at the same time.
All the detectives are invited to Truman Capote's dinner party where he promises there will be a murder. Not sure why Sherlock Holmes wasn't invited or why no one jokes about that in the film. I found some of this movie to be amusing but it mostly falls a little flat 40 plus years later.
What's unfortunate is that the movie has a phenomenal cast, including Oscar Winners and Nominees. Alec Guiness plays a butler, and Maggie Smith and David Niven play the Nick and Nora characters. Sam Spade is Peter Falk, who was huge on tv with Columbo at the time. James Cromwell has a supporting role. It feels as if everyone was hoping this would be a classic comedy for the ages, but it's one that few remember. It's worth seeing if you like anyone in the cast or are interested in a spoof on detectives. Or if you liked the movie Clue and want to see something similar to that.
