'Knives Out'

Writer-director Rian Johnson clearly loves a good whodunnit, as evidenced by the crafty, witty and deliciously devilish murder mystery he concocts in “Knives Out.”

He also really loves actors, as proven by the juicy material he gives to the stellar ensemble cast he has assembled.

The Thrombeys are your typical bickering, back-stabbing rich family, rattling around an old mansion and fretting over what the old man — crime novelist Harlan Thormbey (Christopher Plummer) — will leave them in the will when he finally croaks, Somebody, though, decided not to wait for the answer, because Harlan is discovered in his private study, with his throat cut.

His progeny provides a ready array of suspects. Harlan’s daughter, Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis), is a real-estate mogul straight out of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” with a rigidly Republican husband, Richard (Don Johnson). Harlan’s son, Walt Thrombey (Michael Shannon), has run the publishing company that produces Harlan’s books — and fought his father over selling the film rights. Another daughter, Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette), is a lifestyle expert who has relied on her dad to put her social-activist daughter, Meg (Katherine Langford), through school. 

And there’s a late entry in the race: Linda and Richard’s spoiled son Ransom (Chris Evans), who openly despises pretty much all of his relations.

A couple of other characters also merit notice: Walt’s nervous wife, Donna (Riki Lindhome), and their right-wing troll of a son, Jacob (Jean Martell); Greatnana Wanetta (K Callan), Harlan’s not-all-there mother; and Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s nurse and seemingly the only person Harlan actually liked.

It’s a puzzle for Lt. Elliott (Lakeith Stanfield), the police detective assigned to the case, so he brings in some help: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a renowned private investigator hired by a mystery client to solve the case. “I read a tweet about a New Yorker article about you,” Joni says when she first encounters Blanc. Ransom, on the other hand, is unimpressed with the southern-accented Blanc, asking, “What is this? CSI: KFC?”

Going much further would deprive viewers of the fun of discovering the clues and connections alongside Blanc, and in trying to figure to exactly what Johnson has up his sleeve. The structure isn’t quite the traditional whodunnit, as Johnson in part follows the model of the old “Columbo” TV series,  where the killer was known from the beginning and the mystery was how Columbo would prove it. Emphasis on the “in part,” because Johnson’s script takes some devious twists before the final reel.

And Johnson — making his first movie since wowing the world with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — digs deep into the atmosphere of an old-time murder mystery. The Thrombey mansion, thanks to production designer David Crank (“Inherent Vice,” “The Master”), has enough wry details to make any Agatha Christie fan happy — or illustrate a new edition of “Clue.”

Best of all, Johnson’s cast provides surprises at every turn. It’s great to see Curtis as a ball-buster, or Collette as a spoiled brat, or Craig play a cornpone Poirot, or Evans get some tarnish on that Captain America persona. The breakout is the Cuban-born de Armas (“Blade Runner 2049”), who brings wit and fire to the role of Marta, the lamb in the den of vipers, and a character so refreshingly honest that lying makes her puke.

“Knives Out” takes a few swipes at current politics — Richard supports Trump, mostly for the tax cuts, while Meg and Jacob trade insults across the red/blue divide. But the fun in this whodunnit is how wonderfully nasty the members of the Thrombley family are to each other, in completely nonpolitical ways.

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‘Knives Out’

★★★1/2

Opens Wednesday, November 27, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material. Running time: 130 minutes.