Rian Johnson, master of making a film look and sound intelligent, until you take a step back and realize how poorly written the whole piece truly is. Once again I leave a Rian Johnson film trying to figure out why anyone thinks his film is entertaining? Revisiting the film, the verdict is still a firm 'No'. The film has all the elements of a classic whodunnit story, but ends up being underwhelming and brainless.

The biggest problem is within Act 1, we're told what happened. The main mystery is solved, and the film transforms from a "Whodunnit" into a "How They'll Get Away With It". However, being a Rian Johnson flick there is no way he would not try to "subvert expectations". Once you realize this, the outcome is very predictable. This happening less than halfway hurts "Knives Out" and takes you almost completely out of the film, which is something Rian is guilty of in his previous film. Figuring out the "murderer" is as easy as paying attention to something as simple as character screen presence, on-screen time, downgrades the mystery element of the film. Other successful comic-style whodunnits which featured a large cast of big name performers, had all the suspects together with the investigator for the majority of the film. This is not the case with "Knives Out". Well over half of the suspects in "Knives Out" can be dismissed based on how little involvement their characters have. Barely any lines, rarely mentioned, scarcely involved or seen, little to zero motive= EASY TO DISMISS. In "Clue", every character had a good motive and could easily have been the murderer(s). "Knives Out", you have maybe 3 good suspects and everyone else is just there to fill the space.

Just like his stab at the "Star Wars" franchise, "Knives Out" feels likes Rian Johnson wrote one draft of the script, which leaves us with so many problems, inconsistencies, and so much stupidity. There is some fun, decent comedy, with solid performances. However, there are a lot of mindless flaws and plot holes. The cops are dumb. If the cops had just done the basics of a investigation they would've discovered the clues. Take the medical bag at the crime scene as evidence, swept the house perimeter to discover the exterior way up to the crime scene window, even a basic pathology report which is routine in any death. The cops in KO are some of the dumbest cops ever in film. Enter, Benoit Blanc who is not a smart detective. He just does all the things the cops would be doing at the very start of they weren't completely incompetent. In fact, Blanc at one point, sits in a car listening to music on headphones instead of investigating. The assumption was, he already knows everything regarding the crime. However, a few scenes later he admits he only just figure it out in that very moment.

The whole vomiting from lying bit was dumb from the start. Not only is she incapable of lying, she is incapable of hearing others lie. Which is funny because Hue gets her to falsify her report regarding his death and she does...WHICH IS A LIE. The blood spot ending up on her shoe is 100% impossible. The blood would have to fly across the room at literally the speed of light, because she closes the door before any blood is seen prior to cutting. The single blood drop would have to fly out and around the door, stop in mid-air and drop straight down on her shoe. The magic bullet of blood drops. Rian struggles with basic physics in his films.

In any whodunnit, a key factor is the setting and location of the crime. The house in "Knives Out" is a character on it's own, and is never used to its full potential. In fact, halfway through the film leaves the house. At this point, I found myself longing to return to the house. In "Clue", the house is dark, creepy, and adds a lot of tension amongst the comedy. The house in "Knives Out" is well designed for a whodunnit, but outside of the cool circle of knives, its underutilized.

By the end of "Knives Out" it's all underwhelming. I'll stick with "Clue". Unnecessarily forced political jargon, intended to develop characters of a satire, except it feels cheap and plays as a untuned one note gimmick throughout the film. Part of this feels slightly petty from Rian, like a child's retaliation to those who had online constructive criticism for The Last Jedi? Also, I LOVE Daniel Craig, but Johnson has him do a charming southern gentlemen style accent. Or as it's commonly referred to as a KFC Colonel Sanders accent. Really Rian? Daniel is British. Have Daniel be British! British have charming accents too. Daniel Craig reminded me the whole time of Tom Hanks in "The Ladykillers". I was not the only audience member asking by the end of the film as to why on earth would you give Daniel Craig this accent.