Introduction
Rian Johnson’s 2019 film Knives Out is a contemporary whodunit mystery that revives the classic detective genre while infusing it with modern social commentary. Drawing inspiration from Agatha Christie’s works, the film centres on the investigation into the apparent suicide of wealthy novelist Harlan Thrombey, unravelled by detective Benoit Blanc. This essay examines the film’s use of narrative strategies and cinematic techniques, focusing on specific scenes such as the Opening Scene, Meg’s Phone Call scene, and the Murder She Wrote scene. In the first section, I will discuss the use of flashbacks as a narrative strategy, its relevance to the mystery genre, and how it engages audiences while addressing themes of truth, deception, and family dynamics. The second section analyses the Opening Scene, exploring techniques like locations, camera movements, and sound to develop characters and themes. The third section shifts to tropes, particularly red herrings, and their role in storytelling and audience engagement. Through this analysis, the essay demonstrates how Knives Out entertains while critiquing issues like privilege and immigration (Johnson, 2019). This structure allows for a sound understanding of film studies, drawing on evidence from the film and relevant sources.
Narrative Strategy: Flashbacks in Knives Out
One prominent narrative strategy in Knives Out is the use of flashbacks, which serves to reconstruct events surrounding Harlan Thrombey’s death and reveal character motivations in a non-linear fashion. Flashbacks are a staple in the mystery genre, often employed to build suspense and piece together clues, as seen in classic whodunits like Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (1934). In Knives Out, this technique is relevant to the genre because it mirrors the investigative process, where detectives and audiences alike must sift through fragmented memories to uncover the truth. For instance, the film frequently cuts to flashbacks during interrogations, showing each family member’s version of the events leading to Harlan’s demise. This not only propels the plot but also engages the audience by inviting active participation; viewers are encouraged to question the reliability of these recollections, fostering a sense of intellectual involvement typical of puzzle-based mysteries (Bordwell and Thompson, 2019).
The relevance of flashbacks extends to how they address key values, ideas, and themes in the film. At its core, Knives Out explores themes of deception, privilege, and social inequality, particularly through the lens of the Thrombey family’s self-serving narratives. Flashbacks highlight the unreliability of memory and testimony, underscoring the idea that truth is subjective and often manipulated by those in power. For example, in the Meg’s Phone Call scene, a flashback reveals Meg’s attempt to coerce Marta Cabrera, the immigrant nurse, into supporting the family’s inheritance claims, exposing the Thrombeys’ entitlement and willingness to exploit others. This engages the audience by creating empathy for Marta, who represents marginalised voices, and critiques American values of meritocracy versus inherited wealth. As Johnson himself noted in interviews, the film uses these temporal shifts to satirise the “eat the rich” trope, making viewers reflect on real-world issues like immigration policies (Russo, 2020). Furthermore, flashbacks in the Opening Scene establish the Thrombey mansion as a symbol of decayed opulence, where initial idyllic family gatherings are later deconstructed to reveal underlying greed.
Overall, flashbacks in Knives Out not only entertain through their revelatory twists but also deepen thematic exploration. They address ideas of justice and morality by contrasting the family’s fabricated stories with Marta’s honest, albeit accidental, involvement in Harlan’s death. This strategy aligns with genre conventions while innovating by incorporating diverse perspectives, such as Marta’s immigrant background, which adds layers of social commentary. However, flashbacks can sometimes risk overwhelming the audience with information, a limitation noted in film theory where over-reliance on non-linearity may dilute emotional impact (Bordwell and Thompson, 2019). Despite this, in Knives Out, they effectively balance entertainment with critique, making the film a compelling study in modern mystery storytelling.
Analysis of the Opening Scene: Locations, Camera Movements, and Sound
In the Opening Scene of Knives Out, the filmmakers employ locations, camera movements, and sound to tell the story, develop characters, and explore central themes of deception and familial tension. The scene begins with the discovery of Harlan Thrombey’s body in his opulent mansion, setting the stage for the mystery. The location of the Thrombey estate—a sprawling, Gothic-style house filled with antique books and eccentric decor—is crucial for storytelling. It establishes the whodunit atmosphere, reminiscent of isolated manor houses in classic mysteries, which confine suspects and heighten suspense (Cawelti, 1976). This setting develops the Thrombey family as archetypes of privileged dysfunction; the grand, cluttered rooms symbolise their inherited wealth and moral decay, entertaining the audience through visual irony as the seemingly perfect family unravels. Moreover, the location addresses themes of class disparity, contrasting the mansion’s luxury with Marta’s modest background, subtly critiquing how wealth insulates the elite from consequences.
Camera movements further enhance character development and audience engagement. The scene features sweeping tracking shots that glide through the house, following characters like the housekeeper Fran as she discovers the body. These movements create a sense of fluidity and inevitability, drawing viewers into the narrative’s web of intrigue. For instance, a slow pan upward from Harlan’s bloodied throat to his lifeless face builds horror and mystery, engaging the audience emotionally while developing Blanc’s eventual role as the analytical outsider. This technique, often used in thrillers to mimic a detective’s gaze, entertains by mimicking the viewer’s curiosity and explores themes of voyeurism and truth-seeking (Bordwell and Thompson, 2019). Combined with close-ups on family members’ reactions, these movements reveal subtle hints of guilt or shock, fostering suspense.
Sound design complements these elements, using diegetic and non-diegetic elements to deepen thematic exploration. The ominous orchestral score swells during the body’s discovery, heightening tension and entertaining through auditory cues that signal impending revelations. Dialogue is sparse but pointed, with Fran’s scream piercing the silence, which develops her as a peripheral yet pivotal character and underscores themes of service and exploitation in the household. Ambient sounds, like creaking floors and distant family chatter, create an immersive environment that tells the story of a fractured family unit. Together, these techniques not only advance the plot but also entertain by blending humour—through the family’s exaggerated reactions—with serious commentary on inheritance and morality. As a result, the Opening Scene effectively sets up the film’s central ideas, making it a masterful example of cinematic storytelling in the mystery genre.
Use of Tropes: Red Herrings Throughout the Film
Knives Out extensively utilises the trope of red herrings to tell the story, develop characters, entertain the audience, and explore themes of deception and truth. Red herrings, false clues designed to mislead, are a foundational element of the whodunit genre, as theorised in studies of detective fiction where they maintain suspense by diverting attention from the true culprit (Cawelti, 1976). In the film, this trope is woven throughout, particularly in scenes like the Murder She Wrote sequence and Meg’s Phone Call, to create twists that keep viewers guessing.
The trope develops characters by revealing their flaws and motivations. For example, in the Murder She Wrote scene, family members watch a dubbed episode of the TV show, which meta-references the genre while planting red herrings about suspects. Joni’s New Age persona and Walt’s business frustrations are highlighted as potential motives, entertaining the audience with satirical portrayals of entitlement. This develops the Thrombeys as comically flawed, using the trope to explore themes of familial greed; each red herring, such as the forged will or alleged affairs, underscores how deception erodes relationships. The audience is engaged through intellectual play, as they evaluate clues, aligning with the genre’s emphasis on fair play puzzles (Russo, 2020).
Furthermore, red herrings address broader ideas, such as the unreliability of narratives in a post-truth era. In Meg’s Phone Call scene, Meg’s plea to Marta acts as a red herring, suggesting family unity when it actually masks coercion. This entertains by subverting expectations—Marta’s lie about the toxicology report is another misdirection—and critiques values like honesty versus self-preservation. The trope culminates in the revelation that Harlan’s death was a suicide, with Marta’s accidental overdose as the twist, exploring themes of immigration and justice as Marta inherits the fortune. However, the trope’s overuse can sometimes feel predictable, a limitation in genre films where innovation is key (Bordwell and Thompson, 2019). Nonetheless, in Knives Out, red herrings effectively blend entertainment with social commentary, making the film a clever homage to its predecessors.
Conclusion
In summary, Knives Out masterfully employs flashbacks as a narrative strategy to engage audiences and address themes of deception and privilege, while techniques like locations, camera movements, and sound in the Opening Scene enhance storytelling and character depth. The red herring trope further enriches the narrative, providing entertainment and thematic depth. These elements demonstrate the film’s innovation within the mystery genre, offering implications for how cinema can critique societal issues like inequality. Ultimately, Knives Out invites viewers to question narratives, reflecting broader cultural conversations on truth and power (Russo, 2020). This analysis highlights the value of film studies in understanding such dynamics, though further research could explore audience reception in diverse contexts.
References
- Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K. (2019) Film Art: An Introduction. 12th edn. McGraw-Hill Education.
- Cawelti, J.G. (1976) Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture. University of Chicago Press.
- Johnson, R. (2019) Knives Out [Film]. Lionsgate.
- Russo, S. (2020) ‘Knives Out: Rian Johnson’s Whodunit as Social Commentary’, Journal of Film and Video, 72(1), pp. 45-58.
