Reaction Shots

I don’t remember the last time I came close to tears over the sheer power of a performance, but I found myself deeply moved by what Robert De Niro accomplished in what is an astonishing portrayal of a man who, frankly, has no center. De Niro vanished. He vanished the way he used to vanish in roles in his prime. He simply was Johnny Boy, Vito Corleone, Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta, and Rupert Pupkin. He simply was Jimmy Conway, Jack Walsh, and Neil McCauley. It would be unfair and inaccurate to say he hasn’t turned in strong performances over the years, despite having snoozed his way through worse than substandard movies; but what he did here as Frank Sheeran was as mesmerizing as anything Brando did in “The Godfather” or “Last Tango in Paris”. The other gem of a performance in a film filled with them is Joe Pesci whose turn as Russell Bufalino is a reminder that Pesci, too, is a master of the craft. And yes, there’s Al Pacino, working with Martin Scorsese for the first time

I’ve seen all of Rian Johnson’s theatrical releases. That’s more than I can say of many directors whose work I’m fond of. It helps that he only has five, but each one is almost perfectly crafted. That includes the somewhat divisive “The Last Jedi”, but “Brick”, “The Brothers Bloom”, “Looper”, and the aforementioned addition to the Star Wars canon are all compelling stories, well-written, and often, immersive experiences. I will be the first to admit that I have never solved a murder mystery. I love the genre in literature and film, but not only have I never solved one, I can’t imagine writing one. I tried once. It was wretched. And shit. It was shit. But “Knives Out” is not shit. It is the farthest thing from shit. It is a percolating stew of family dissonance and antipathy. It is a drawing room drama. It is donut with a hole filled by another donut with a hole in it. It boasts some of the tightest performances in a mainstream film with mainly entertainment on its mind.