8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael ShannonDark humor | 100% |
Mystery | 63% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
For any of you who are, like I am, still in recovery after having witnessed what I personally think was a disastrous turn by John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot in (again, in my estimation) a needless remake of The ABC Murders , take heart and remember these two words: Benoit Blanc. Blanc, portrayed by Golden Globe nominee Daniel Craig, is the private detective at the heart of Knives Out, an often fantastically entertaining film that attempts, and kind of surprisingly often succeeds, at reinventing the so- called “whodunit” genre. “Whodunit” may be a bit of a misnomer with regard to Knives Out, since the film rather artfully provides insight into how a world famous mystery writer named Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) has ended up dead, offering that reveal at least relatively early in what turns out to be a labyrinthine tale. The film begins, however, with Thrombey’s housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson) discovering Thrombey’s body in an attic hideaway, where it appears at first glance that Thrombey has committed suicide. And in fact as the film progresses, two policemen, Lieutenant Elliott (Lakeith Stanfield) and a trooper named Wagner (Noah Segan), seem consigned to accepting that premise, despite the fact that the Thrombey family is rife with dysfunctions and there may be motives galore if, in fact, Thrombey had a little “help” in meeting his maker. That's where the aforementioned Benoit Blanc comes into the story, attached to the policemen as a Poirot-esque "consultant", listening in and finally taking over a new round of interviews with the family instigated when Blanc receives a mysterious envelope stuffed full of cash asking him to look into Thrombey's death.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.
Knives Out is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. As I mentioned in our
Knives Out Blu-ray review, the IMDb reports this was captured
with Arri Alexas and finished at a 2K DI, though as I also mentioned in our 1080p review, the imagery has evidently been tweaked with digital
grain to resemble film (sharp eyed credits perusers will note a Fotokem logo during the final roll, but I believe that refers to the color grading, as
evidenced by an earlier credit). A lot of the time, things resolve really well throughout this presentation, but a couple of moments struck me as artificial
and near noisy looking. The first of these is the very opening shot, where the skies above the Thrombey mansion look like they're filled with an insect
invasion, but later (and somewhat recurrently vis a vis shots of faces in particular) in the close-up of Marta getting the phone call from Walt
to return to the mansion, while detail on facial (and especially forehead) pores is excellent, there's also a little "swarm" of black dots covering her face.
Otherwise, though, this is a really great looking presentation that has clear upticks in fine detail that are especially noticeable in things like the
sweaters, scarves and gloves that some characters wear (the first meeting between Marta and Meg outside of the mansion is one example), but also
with regard to things like the ornately patterned wallpapers or paisley bedclothes inside the Thrombey mansion. Dolby Vision has added a slew of really
nice looking highlights and deep saturations to this presentation. I was repeatedly struck with some of the blues, but there are "little" moments, like a
scene with Blanc and the police on a sunporch where the bricks behind Blanc almost burst with a red-orange tone that isn't as noticeable in the 1080p
version. Other elements, like Linda's dress in her first interview, look slightly more pink in this version. The increase in shadow detail is somewhat
more variable. Selected moments, like the scene with Richard in Harlan's office attempting to retrieve an incriminating letter about some marital
dalliances, can show more detail in the nooks and crannies of the frame, but other moments, like the climactic scene in the abandoned laundromat with
Marta, don't really show a huge uptick in detail.
Perhaps just a little surprisingly, at least given the fact that this film doesn't offer a ton of opportunity for (literally) over the top sound design elements, Knives Out features a Dolby Atmos track. The Atmos channels are sporadically engaged, typically for ambient environmental effects, but in two notable instances to clearly document some overhead "thumps" that are clues as the story progresses. Otherwise, surround activity is quite enjoyable, especially in the many outdoor scenes. Dialogue and score are presented cleanly and clearly, and I noticed no issues whatsoever with regard to distortion, dropouts or other damage.
Both the 1080p and 2160p discs contained in this release commendably sport the same slate of supplementary material:
- Teaser Trailer (1080p; 2:12)
- Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:35)
- Final Trailer (1080p; 1:08)
- Ode to the Murder Mystery (1080p; 1:43) is a fun "faux" trailer with Rian Johnson hosting.
- Thrombey Real Estate (1080p; 00:34)
- Blood Like Wine Publishing (1080p; 00:56)
- Flam (1080p; 00:34)
I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, and Knives Out delivered some of the same delirious fun that the best Christie mysteries do. The film kind of reminded me in a way of Gosford Park, in that while the central murder mystery keeps things clicking along at an agreeable pace, it's really the interpersonal relationships that give the film most of its color and interest. The cast is hugely enjoyable, and it might go without saying that a film with the word knives in its title benefits from some very sharp writing. Technical merits are solid with some nice upticks in detail and a more vivid palette in this 4K presentation, the supplementary package nicely full and fun, and Knives Out comes Highly recommended.
2016
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