Knives Out, directed by Rian Johnson, has an impressive star-studded cast. Benoit Blanc, the top-notch detective, is played by Daniel Craig. He brings out the character perfectly, complete with the big ego. His arrival on the scene compounds the mystery since it is not out rightly apparent who engaged his services in solving the mystery.
Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) delivers her role with aplomb. She is the story’s heroine, the murder victim’s confidante, and Harlan Thrombey’s (Christopher Plummer) nurse. His housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson) finds him, throat slit and knife still in hand. It seems like an open-and-shut suicide case, but on closer scrutiny, it turns into a murder investigation. Only Marta seems above suspicion. According to The Guardian, “She has a regurgitative reaction to mistruths that makes her vomit when lying.”
With critically lauded sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery headed to Netflix soon and a third installment already in the works, let’s take a look at some other beloved mystery films to check out if you’re a fan of this franchise.
RELATED: Knives Out Cast: Character Guide and Descriptions
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Clue (1985)
Guber-Peters Company
Clue introduces viewers to six guests connected to each other through secrets and blackmail. They are ominously invited to a mansion for dinner by a butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry). A seventh guest, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), arrives later and the butler reveals that he is the one who has been blackmailing them. His intentions for bringing the guests together were to force a confession out of Mr. Boddy and get him arrested. Things go south, and Mr. Boddy is killed when the lights go out. The police are on their way, and the guests embark on finding out who killed Mr. Boddy.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Silver Pictures
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang stars Robert Downey Jr. as Harry Lockhart, a petty thief who accidentally auditions for a detective role while escaping from the police. He is sent to Los Angeles, where he meets, his childhood crush, Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan). Lockhart also meets a private investigator, “Gay” Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer), who is supposed to help him develop his character. During a stakeout, they come across a body, and Harry finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation.
5 Brick (2006)
Bergman Lustig Productions
Brick, written and directed by Rian Johnson, is a contemporary high school drama set in an upscale Southern California High School. It follows a style now widely identified as neo-noir. Brick opens with Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finding the body of his ex-girlfriend in a drainage ditch - she had frantically called him earlier for help from a phone booth. Brendan takes upon himself the task of solving her murder and enlists the help of his pal, the Brain (Matt O’Leary), as a fellow gumshoe.
4 Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes, a mystery action film, tells the story of a private detective, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.), and his partner Dr. John Watson (Jude Law). They believe they have outwitted and captured Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), a serial killer, who is later hanged but superstitiously returns from the dead. Holmes has to stop Blackwood before he can achieve his goal - taking over the British Empire and reconquering the United States.
RELATED: Best Rian Johnson Movies, Ranked
3 Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
The Mark Gordon Company
Murder on the Orient Express pays homage to Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express, with the picture almost entirely set on an opulent train whose ornate detail is suitably captured. Kenneth Branagh, the star and director, brings the character Hercule Poirot, the world-famous Belgian detective, to life. An avalanche causes the luxury locomotive to stop before reaching its destination, and as this happens, a dead body is found on the train. Samuel Ratchett (Johnny Depp), the murder victim, had been stabbed several times during the night. It is a race against time for Poirot as he tries to find the killer. He interviews the passengers who might have had access to Ratchett’s cabin and delivers his final summation in a train tunnel.
2 A Simple Favor (2018)
Feigco Entertainment
In A Simple Favor, single parent and vlogger Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) make friends with the elegant Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), a PR director and sharp dresser who likes strong martinis. Their young sons bring them together over a play date, and a fast friendship is formed between the two women. They are very different, and their friendship is seen as unbalanced. Emily’s idea of a play-date is that it begins and ends with cocktails.
Now best friends, Emily asks Stephanie for a simple favor, to collect Emily’s son from school and babysit, but then Emily disappears without a trace. Stephanie sets about investigating Emily’s disappearance, and uncovers more than she had bargained.
1 Murder Mystery (2019)
Happy Madison Productions
Murder Mystery casts Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) and Nick Spitz (Adam Sandler) as a married couple. Nick Spitz is a New York cop, Audrey is a hairdresser, and they lead a rather dull life in New York. Audrey pines for more romance in their lives, and they get to go on their much-delayed European honeymoon for their 15th anniversary. On their flight, the Spitzes meet Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans), who invites them for a cruise on the yacht of his tycoon uncle Malcolm Quince (Terence Stamp). The Spitzes have great chemistry that adds some charm to the setting of their getaway on the high seas. Malcolm Quince soon turns up dead, and the couple becomes prime suspects. The Spitzes turn into detectives to exonerate themselves from the accusations of a chain-smoking French detective played by Dany Boon.
