..will be put on my B-movie-Marathon List, and it is a shoe-in for top-25 of the year. That's saying something because Keaton's direction is meh, and the film lacks a little style. It's a gem though, and tbh, it could have been a diamond.
Where the film excels, is in it's storyline and subject matter. What first appears as your run of the mill crime mystery, is consistently providing nuggets that take it to the next level. Michael Keaton and James Marsden are rock-solid, The last half hour of storyline is more tightly woven than a bulletproof vest. The film offers some moments of laughter and heartbreak. There are many well-thought-out and unexpected turns.
Knox Goes Away is undeniably clever, and despite its' deliberate pacing, it's steady and never stops getting better. Keaton's camera is nothing to harp about, but the screenplay and performances more than offset its' average aesthetics. .
I teetered on 8/10 here and may go back to it, because the film just does such an excellent job of covering its' bases. 2/3rds of the way through I had hoped it would do a good job wrapping up the mystery/storyline, and in that regard it far exceeded my expectations.
Keaton's film will be pure joy for unsuspecting fans of the genre, and above-average for most anyone that doesn't need nonstop action to enjoy a movie. A little more style would have gone a long way, but its hard to complain when the acting and storyline are as good as they are here.
Kudo's Mr. Keaton. 75/100.
Where the film excels, is in it's storyline and subject matter. What first appears as your run of the mill crime mystery, is consistently providing nuggets that take it to the next level. Michael Keaton and James Marsden are rock-solid, The last half hour of storyline is more tightly woven than a bulletproof vest. The film offers some moments of laughter and heartbreak. There are many well-thought-out and unexpected turns.
Knox Goes Away is undeniably clever, and despite its' deliberate pacing, it's steady and never stops getting better. Keaton's camera is nothing to harp about, but the screenplay and performances more than offset its' average aesthetics. .
I teetered on 8/10 here and may go back to it, because the film just does such an excellent job of covering its' bases. 2/3rds of the way through I had hoped it would do a good job wrapping up the mystery/storyline, and in that regard it far exceeded my expectations.
Keaton's film will be pure joy for unsuspecting fans of the genre, and above-average for most anyone that doesn't need nonstop action to enjoy a movie. A little more style would have gone a long way, but its hard to complain when the acting and storyline are as good as they are here.
Kudo's Mr. Keaton. 75/100.