WhenKnives Outwas released in 2019, it was met with widespread enthusiasm by fans of whodunits likeClue. From director and writer Rian Johnson, the ensemble cast is led by Daniel Craig (Benoit Blanc), Ana de Armas (Maria Cabrera), and Christopher Plummer (Harlan Thrombey) as they solve the mystery of how a wealthy novelist, played by Plummer, met his end.
Knives Outwas a box office success that spawned a similarly beloved sequel (with another forthcoming). The movie was praised for its performances, unique structure, and overall plot. Johnson was credited for presenting the detective story with humor and intrigue alike. It was not lost on anyone who sawKnives Outthat there were heavy influences from movies likeClueand the writings of authors such as Agatha Christie. Johnson said he was especially influenced by the latter when he wroteKnives Out.
Taking a look at the movies that precededKnives Outand the works that formed its foundation is enjoyable to a point. WatchingClueis a delight, but one movie based on Agatha Christie’sDeath on the Nileis safe to skip.
‘Clue’ Was One of the First Movies Based on a Board Game
Clue, written by John Landis and Jonathan Lynn, came out in 1985. Also directed by Lynn,Clue’s hilarious ensemble castfeatured Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren. Likethe board game upon whichCluewas based, the movie revolved around a murder at a mansion — this time of Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving) — and a group of suspects who could all be guilty of the crime.
As the story unfolds, each of the guests at a mysterious dinner party — their names match those in the game — is joined by outsiders, purportedly without reason. Each one of those visitors is killed, as are the maid, Yvette (Colleen Camp), and the cook. No one knows who’s doing the killing and, as it turns out,even the cast and crew ofCluewere kept in the dark during filming.
‘Knives Out’ and ‘Clue’ Both Draw on Predecessors To Tell Their Stories
Director and co-writer Jonathan Lynn was well aware thatCluehad a lot in common withMurder by Death(which also starred Eileen Brennan) and Agatha Christie’s bookAnd Then There Were None. For Lynn,creating a different tone forCluewas important:
“My single guiding light was that our film was not to be a parody… ‘Of course, you can’t do a country-house murder mystery totally seriously anymore. ButMurder by Deathdidn’t have a mystery plot that held up, and I wanted this movie to have a stronger plot. The mainspring of the comedy is the terror these people feel, so the terror must seem real.”
One additional tonal element was thetimeframe during whichCluetook place.Cluewas set in the 1950s, and the political subtext of the Cold War is front and center in the movie.
WhenCluewas released, it was not received favorably. Critics like Roger Ebert foundlittle about it that was “fun"and seemed to resent the multi-ending concept that made up the end of the movie. It wasn’t until years later thatCluedevelopeda cult-like following, driven in part by repeated showings on cable during the 1990s.
Rian Johnson Credited ‘Clue’ and Agatha Christie With Influencing ‘Knives Out’
Cluethe movie had an impact on Rian Johnson when he wroteKnives Out, butthe game itself was something he thoughtwas “kind of boring.” That said,Johnson knew thatCluewas “the reference most people have in their head” for whodunits and, likeClue, he wanted to take that foundation and add his own tone. HetoldGQin 2019,
“[Knives Out] kind of cheeky and self-aware, but it’s not aparodyof murder mysteries. I need that part. The movie part that I’m excited about. But it doesn’t really click until there’s also something personal I can work with. It’s like two gears clicking together.”
Johnson also grew up reading Agatha Christie novels and recalled watchingDeath on the Nileand other Hercule Poirot mysteries. Like those, he wanted “an all-star cast” and intended to infuse hisKnives Outwith an “old-school, entertaining, we’re-putting-on-a-big-show type feel.”
It’s important to note that Johnson was certainly not talking about the 2022 adaptation of Agatha Christie’sDeath on the Niledirected by Kenneth Branagh; he was referring to the 1978 movie of the same name.Branagh’sDeath on the Nile, which also featured Branagh as Poirot,was his second movie based on a work by Christie, withMurder on the Orient Expressas the first in 2017.
The reaction toDeath on the Nilewas intense. Cast members Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, and Letitia Wright accompanied the likes of Armie Hammer and Russell Brand.Scandals involving Wright, Hammer, and Brand made marketing the movie challenging, at best, and Gadot did the movie no favors with her 2020 singing debacle.
Critics were split, but the negative reactions seemed to drown out the positive ones.The Wall Street Journal’sJoe Morgenstern, for example, remarked it had “pizazz and period style in the same way today’s big-brand toothpastes have flavor – artificial ingredients give them a taste that’s discernible, but too generic to name.”
So stick withCluefor your next whodunit watch,which you can find on MGM+ or Fubo.
