I put off seeing this movie. Someone who saw it around Thanksgiving told me they didn’t really like it and it didn’t really garner any awards acclaim so I thought I would wait to see it until it came out on DVD.

“Knives Out” directed by Rian Johnson, starring several household name actors/actresses including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Christopher Plummer and others, was a fun, stylistic murder-mystery whodunit.

I really enjoyed the way the story was “revealed” with the layers of the characters and their relationship with the patriarch of the family, Harlan Thrombley (portrayed by Christopher Plummer). While the subject matter, murder of the patriarch in a wealthy dysfunctional family, is unsavory, the laughs and twists keep the viewer engaged.

There is a lot of interesting relationship dynamics that play out on screen to deflect the attention off of one character or the other, then as the truth unfolds everything you thought you know is called into question.

Daniel Craig as a southerner, Sherlock-Holmes-type was a bit far-fetched and they would have been better off saying he was some mastermind detective from Great Britain, but all the other characters fit the bill and were excellent as an ensemble cast.

The film’s only Oscar nomination was for Rian Johnson’s Best Original Screenplay. The story was inventive and intriguing, which corresponds to the film’s nomination.

Overall, the film is fun, funny and full of mystery that leaves you hanging on until the very final scene.