Movie franchises are difficult and they need a solid directorial control. Knives Out worked because it had a script that was plotted and within the Country House format and it contained wonderfully crafted and finely nuanced performances. I anticipated much enjoyment with this second tale. But it fell flat at the start; it was built on the premise that more money makes it better. It was an extravagant attempt to spend huge amounts on sets and props without any plot or interesting dialogue. The cast played their characters with a uniform flatness. Cold, heartless, and unattractive in every way, nobody emerged out of this with any credit, except, maybe, one or two bits of action. The three people I watched this with yawned and sighed, and one went into a deep sleep. I forced myself to watch until the end; and I realised I cared for nobody in it. Most of the characters could have been better played by my local theatre club members and a better script could have been written on the back of an envelope.