Hi all!
Today I am ranking the Knives Out franchise. This popular anthology series isn’t slowing down anytime soon! Each instalment focuses on a different murder mystery and at the heart of it all, is private investigator: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). Heralded as the ‘greatest detective in the world’, this Southern sleuther has never met a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Set amongst a cast of colourful characters (typically featuring big name celebrities), viewers are transported to different locations around the globe, where quite literally everybody is a suspect. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
This post is in partnership with JustWatch. Spoilers Ahead!
1.) Glass Onion
My favourite film in the series (thus far), is Glass Onion. I know that might be controversial but everything about it worked. Tech billionaire, Miles Bron (Edward Norton), invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case. Firstly, I loved setting. The aesthetics of the island were something to behold. I would give anything to spend a week there. Secondly, it has the best showing of Benoit. He is featured from start to finish (not appearing in the second act like some of the other movies); truly invested by what is occurring, given his personal involvement. Thirdly, from the opening scene – solving the mysterious puzzle box – I was hooked. There were no moments that lagged or felt unnecessary. Finally, I really enjoyed the cast of characters. One might say they were shallow and one-dimensional but I do believe that was the point. The character with the most depth was Helen AND Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monae). She stole the show. Make no mistake, this is a tale of revenge, with a truly satisfying conclusion. It was fast-paced, riveting and unexpected. Don’t sleep on the sequel!
2.) Wake Up Dead Man
Ranked second, I have Wake Up Dead Man. This is the latest instalment to hit Netflix. A baffling death inside a quiet church draws Benoit Blanc into a tense investigation. Faith, secrets and suspicion begin to blur as the close community turns against itself. In my opinion, it had the worst showing of Benoit. It took a long time for him to appear and when he finally did, he had a tired, lacklustre aura about him. Not only that, I did not buy his “Come to Damascus” moment, where he quite literally saw the light. His belief system has always been rooted in reality and logic. Having said all that, I think this film had the strongest cast of characters across all three movies. I particularly loved Glenn Close, Josh Brolin and Josh O’Connor’s performances. It also had quite a dark undertone, which I appreciated. It wasn’t just the gloomy, almost gothic setting. It was the contempt behind the killer’s motivation. I was entertained and intrigued all the way through.
3.) Knives Out
In last place, we have the movie that started it all: Knives Out. The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey, are mysterious. However, there’s one thing renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure – everyone in the wildly dysfunctional family is a suspect. Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth. I know most fans would herald this instalment as the best one but I have a personal vendetta against it. I did not know going in just how much vomiting there would be. My emetophobia was constantly triggered. The lead, Marta (Ana de Armas), has a quirk. If she tells a lie, she projectile vomits everywhere. Many untruths later, I was forced to dock several stars to my overall rating. I also felt the movie was overhyped. I was expecting a masterpiece and it was just okay. The cast were all extremely unlikeable, which was the point, but it took away from my enjoyment. I didn’t want any of them to get the money, including Marta! It’s safe to say, I will never rewatch it. My poor nervous system can’t take it!
Thank you so much for reading! How would you rank this franchise?
Peace & Love xoxo
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