Knives Out
One of the most compelling aspects ofKnives Outis its awareness of murder mystery tropes , using them to misinform the audience . alternatively of copying custom , knife Outcleverly acknowledge it through the use of Easter egg and references to other detective stories and film that are woven throughout the background , perpetually reminding the audience that this story is a murder mystery and , therefore , will serve in the same mode as its predecessor . That promote awareness not only intelligently nose sport at the mystery tropes that have become cliches , but also airt the viewer ’s attention so that they do n’t seeKnives Out ’s pull endingcoming .
Benoit Blanc’s Mississippi Drawl
The influence of Agatha Christie is evident within every scene inKnives Out , from the mediaeval computer architecture to her basic formula , following a chemical group of grapheme who coincidentally find oneself themselves caught up in a murder mystery . Out of all of the references to Christie ’s mystery novels , the most dynamical influence can be found in Detective Benoit Blanc himself , who seem to be a parody of the famousBelgian detective Hercule Poirot , from his name to his deep southerly speech pattern .
In an interview withScreenCrush , Johnson explains how Blanc ’s mysterious Southern emphasis was a item he decided to include in the script . “ I figured that because he was go to be in New England , to make him a Pisces out of body of water and maybe make the suspects in the pillowcase not take him quite severely , I would give him this deep Southern swing , ” enunciate Johnson . “ Then I knead with Daniel during pre - production to kind of figure out what that stand for . ”
The Southern emphasis , which Craig mould after the Mississippi drawl of the historiographer Shelby Foote , could be interpreted as a reference book to Poirot , who is systematically referred to as a “ noncitizen ” in Christie ’s novel . As a noted detective in 20th - century England , Poirot maintains that same fish - out - of - water colour , with his Belgian accent and his digression in his native French language . Not only is Blanc ’s background interchangeable to Poirot ’s , but his name intentionally has a similar cadency . In the same interview , Johnson stated that Benoit Blanc ’s name was lifted from a Gallic private instructor he once had , and that he “ thought it ’d be fun to give a last name Americans would struggle with , a bit like Poirot . ”
Tribute to Sleuth
Knives Outnot only reference classical mystery story lit , but also pays tribute to Joseph L. Mankiewicz ’s mystery filmSleuth . During an instalment ofEW’sAround the Table , Daniel Craig explains that Blanc first record the story overbold from resolve another vitrine , one which was centered around a tennis instrumentalist . Johnson shares that this detail about Blanc ’s former case is in reality a quotation to Mankiewicz ’s 1972 mystery thriller .
“ At the beginning of Sleuth , the novel that he ’s dictating is Death by Double Faults , and he ’s describing how the killer paced along the lines of the tennis royal court and threw the body into the corpse , ” said Johnson . Similar toSleuth’sopening , Knives Outfirst introduces Benoit Blanc by alluding to a fabricated detective story , the mystery filmSleuth , which not only perpetuates the archetypes of the mystery story genre , but helps break down the boundaries between fiction and reality in the brain of the viewer .
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Surprise Cameo
From neo - noirs to blockbuster , Rian Johnson has guide film across many genres and the one consistency among them is his continued partnership with actor and director , Joseph Gordon - Levitt . Gordon - Levitt , who has star in films such asThe Dark Knight RisesandInception , has been sport , whether it be in a leading function or a short cameo , in every single movie Johnson has point , including his original mysteryKnives Out .
The collaboration between the two date as far back as Johnson ’s first film , Brick(2005 ) , in which Gordon - Levitt impersonate the main protagonist Brendan Frye . Since this first project , Gordon - Levitt has been featured in small roles in Johnson ’s later films , including a late cameo inStar war : The Last Jedias the voice of Slowen - Lo , a occupant of Canto Bight that reports the ship Rose and Finn ditch on the beach to the authorities .
InKnives Out , Gordon - Levitt ’s cameo occurs during one of the few coup d’oeil into Marta Cabrera ’s ( Ana de Armas ) personal life outside the Thrombey estate . Unlike some of his previous cameo , Gordon - Levitt does n’t make an onscreen appearance inKnives Out , but rather his voice can be heard on a television computer programme that ’s playing in the background of Marta ’s apartment . Gordon - Levitt voices Detective Hardrock , a simple yet compelling bad - cop purpose that subtly juxtapose the ridiculous investigator archetypes present withinKnives Outfrom Benoit Blanc ’s genius to Lieutenant Elliot ’s ( Lakeith Stanfield ) calm and collected persona .
The Mysterious Symbol From Brick
SinceKnives Outmarks Johnson ’s return to the mystery story writing style , it seems only meet that he would top off his late mystery film with a callback to his first . Brickfeatures a large symbol that was built-in to the plot , and that helped lead the main character Brendan Frye to the situation of his ex - girlfriend ’s execution , basically recoil - starting the plot of the motion-picture show . While the Easter testicle is a subtle one , that same symbol briefly look inKnives Outduring the gondola chase scene between Marta Cabrera and Benoit Blanc .
In one last twist of the tongue , Knives Outcontinues to comment on the audience ' prior set of knowledge by take a crap one other computer address to a novel . Thomas Pynchon ’s satirical novelGravity ’s Rainbowbecomes a topic of discussion inKnives Out , to which one theatrical role admits never having read the script . When Blanc enunciate , “ No one has , ” it further perpetuate the caustic remark that exists at the core ofKnives Out , that the mystery picture is based off of conception and themes from literature that the absolute majority of people in modern times have never translate , but are still known today because of their bearing in knockoffs and Riffian of the original detective stories .
In a film about a mystery writer ’s bequest , none of the character ’s themselves seem to have an interest in the compose word . Harlan ’s portrayal , smiling and watching the upshot ofKnives Outunfold from its central location on the wall , almost appear like one final jest at the watcher ’s expense that we do n’t love as much as we think we do .
Glass Onion Has Plenty Of Knives Out Easter Eggs
Some of the Easter eggs demo inGlass Onionare a little more obvious such as Blanc ’s fame supporter he is playing Among Us with which let in Angela Lansbury , whiz of mystery story showMurder She write , and Natasha Lyonne , star of Johnson ’s own secret showPoker Face . Joseph Gordon - Levitt once again makes a interpreter cameo , uproariously providing the " hourly dong " heard on Miles Bron ’s island . mil ' various outfits also include some fun reference as he is see dress like Tom Cruise inMagnoliaand Steve Jobs at various points in the movie . Even " Gravity ’s Rainbow " makes another appearance as Serena Williams is seen reading it in her cameo .
The continued love and winner for this franchise is discover withGlass Onionproving a prominent smasher for Netflix , and realize Johnson another Oscar nominating address for Best Screenplay . While theKnives OutEaster eggs are just one humble rationality lover enjoy these movies , Johnson is sure to continue the trend with his next Benoit Blanc mystery known now asKnives Out 3which has already been confirmed .
