God is a suspect in the new 'Knives Out'

The saga Daggers in the back It has not only revitalized a genre that Hollywood considered dead and buried, like the whodonitbut has transformed it into an incisive tool for social satire. After portraying the racism of the upper classes in the first part and the egomania of the techno-oligarchs in the secondIn this new installment, director Rian Johnson points to God. Specifically, to the parish where a young, former boxer priest (Josh O'Connor) arrives, hoping his kind nature will counterbalance the rabid hatred of the local priest (Josh Brolin), who attacks the "perfidious modernity" of single mothers and "whores" in his sermons. But it is when the priest is inexplicably murdered and suspicion falls on his younger colleague that the appearance of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) provides the film's most compelling conflict: between the priest's flailing faith in God and the uncompromising rationality of the infallible detective, a battle that unfolds through understanding.

Building on this lesson in empathy that is projected onto current hate speech, Johnson once again designs a vibrant story around an impossible mystery, a narrative puzzle filmed with the expressiveness of gothic suspense and the manic energy of comedy screwballA treat for viewers eager for adult entertainment, in which Craig takes a step back to allow a magnificent O'Connor to take center stage. The supporting cast is less successful; some, like Glenn Close and Brolin—especially in the hilarious masturbatory confessions—are excellent, but most (Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner) are wasted on characters with little dramatic depth.