This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Beaks Bloody
Plot Overview
Just-turned-85 mystery writer Harlan
Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) has called his clan together to deliver
some disappointing news. He feels he's been doing them a
disservice lavishing his publishing fortune on them, so it looks
like he's going to pass the cup of his blessing, “My House,
My Rules, My Coffee,” to someone more deserving. Before
the planned announcement, however, his housekeeper
Fran (Edi Patterson) finds his body dead from an apparent suicide.
Police Detective Lieutenant Elliott (Lakeith Stanfield) and Trooper
Wagner (Noah Segan) conduct a pro forma investigation to
discover that while four different quarters of the family—Harlan's
spoiled grandson Ransom (Chris Evans,) Harlan's embezzling daughter-in-law
Joni (Toni Collette), Harlan's daughter Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee
Curtis)'s cheating husband Richard (Don Johnson,) and Harlan's
layabout, youngest son Walt (Michael Shannon)—had some
motivation to kill him, no-one had an especially strong one. More
telling, however, none of them had opportunity. It looks like
a closed case of suicide, after all.
A private
detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig,) bearing the mantle of Sherlock
Holmes for his logical methodology, has been retained to aid
in the investigation (“I suspect foul play. I have eliminated
no suspects.”) The patriarch's gothic, Victorian “My
House” is not without a secret passage, which means lots
of opportunity for anyone. His “My Rules” means
the idiosyncratic (“Dad's games”) crime novelist
could well have used the suspiciously atypical knife to do himself
in. And his “My Coffee” means he imbibes substances into
his body, although, to be sure, he employed a nurse Marta Cabrera
(Ana de Armas) to administer the correct dose of morphine.
Ideology
When the family finds themselves disinherited (for their own good,) they turn with daggers in their eyes to the (faithful) immigrant girl who inherits in their stead. They are smug, put on airs, and disregard their patriarch's wishes. No more mister Nice Guy; the gloves come off. They call the kind immigrant—she's been naturalized—names, abuse her reputation, see to it that her undocumented mother & sister are deported forthwith, try to bamboozle her out of her windfall, frame her to void her inheritance, under the slayer clause (“Like O.J.”), and don't stop short of attempting to kill her outright. (Prov. 30:11-14) “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.”
Production Values
“” (2019) was written and directed by Rian Johnson. It stars Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, and Michael Shannon. Craig was cast as a Southern American detective, not the suave Bond but a cautious egghead. He pulled it off surprisingly well, sticking to his new role like he was born to it. Ana de Armas as Marta gave a standout performance as a shy immigrant confronted with sudden wealth. All the actors played their parts perfectly.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material. Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, film editor Bob Ducsay, and composer Nathan Johnson fleshed out a rather clever whodunnit that can keep an audience glued despite the plethora of odd characters to keep track of.
Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation
The plot is full of gear changes and misdirection to keep even the most sophisticated audience on its toes. It gives multiple perspectives on immigration, but none is forced. It's an only-in-America theme that has as much to do with the losers as with the winners. Mystery fans will not be disappointed.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
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