In 2019, Rian Johnson released a little gem called Knives Out, which had an all-star cast featuring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, and Jamies Curtis. The murder mystery centers on Detective Benoit Blanc’s investigation of Harlan Thrombrey’s death. The feature was a smashing success by garnering $309.2 million worldwide based on a $40 million production budget. Following the success of the Rian Johnson feature, Netflix brought the rights for two Knives Out sequels for over $450 million, and while details about the upcoming sequel are scarce, the cast is stacked with high-level talents such as Kathryn Hahn, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, and the return of Daniel Craig. The first Knives Out was a great feature with minor issues; however, this article will detail the problems that Knives Out 2 needs to avoid in order for the sequel to be successful.
Give The Protagonist an Air of Mystery Behind Them
As I previously stated, Knives Out was a joyful feature from beginning to end. There’s not much to complain about the original film; however, one small wrinkle that Johnson could change is leaving an air of mystery surrounding the lead character of the sequel. In the first movie, there was no suspense on whether Marta was innocent and to Johnson’s credit, he did a splendid job of basing the narrative around the housemaid and the dysfunctional family. However, it would be wise to switch up the formula by making it seem as if everyone is a suspect. Murder-mystery films are at their best when there’s a cloud of doubt involving the core cast of characters who are being framed. That way, every clue that is found, every moment that reveals character motivations or plot details, or the easter eggs that culminate to the bigger picture will keep the suspense level high and create an unpredictable feel that would have audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end.
Don’t Get Lost in the Cast Of A-List Stars
Again, Johnson did well with the crop of talent in the first film; however, since the focus was mainly on Ana de Armas’s character, not everyone was given as much spotlight as they deserved. Once again, Knives Out 2 features another stacked cast and it has to be tempting for Johnson to write something compelling for each and every A lister attached to his project. Here’s the thing, films that have an all-star cast tend to try and spotlight everyone with a big name. The issues with this are that the plot becomes muddled and chaotic because the protagonist isn’t clear, and neither is the main arc of the story. One of the films of this shining example for this is Crash; The Oscar winner has a huge level of names stacked and the themes of each story are all common; however, if the film opted to cut some of the plots then it’s narrative could’ve better explored some of the characters like Matt Dillion’s racist cop or Sandra Bullock’s angry protagonist. Still, one of the features notorious for getting lost in their A-list talent is the Valentine’s Day/New Year’s Eve pictures that needlessly plodded along with a bunch of bland and pedestrian men and women surrounding what holiday that film was set around. Would it have been nice if Knives Out spent more time on Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, or even LaKeith Stanfield (though to be fair, he wasn’t the focal point of the film)? Yes! However, since the feature had a defined protagonist, it was necessary that these supporting characters aided in the hero’s journey. Each of these men and women served their purpose for the larger story. I know this entry sounds silly because Johnson did a great job balancing the talented cast in the first feature; however, even he isn’t prone to getting lost in his A-list talent pool.
Keep Detective Benoit Blanc a Supporting Character
One of the best things about Knives Out was Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc, who provided several hilarious moments of the feature and nicely contributed to the overall dynamic of the cast. Despite the two-sequel following the Blanc’s next detective journey, it’s better if he remains a supporting player instead of diving into the lead role. We don’t need a backstory on how he became a detective. Nor do we need to understand his motivations that doesn’t pertain to the cases at hand. Can a detective story following Blanc be great? Definitely! In fact, some of the best detective stories are Chinatown and Seven. The key thing is that the focus is on the case, not the leading man trying to solve it. Sure, we get some crucial character moments, but neither picture loses sight of what the movie should focus on. If Johnson takes that route then there should be no problems in his upcoming sequels as long as it doesn’t try to explain who Detective Benoit Blanc. Unless it’s vital to the plot, showing his backstory is ultimately meaningless.Rian Johnson
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