Knives Out at HOME

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
HOME

Knives Out at HOME Manchester, Manchester 29 November — 12 December 2019 Tickets from £9 — Book now

Coming off of the much-scrutinised (and actually quite good) Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it is clear that writer-director Rian Johnson was looking to let loose. Free from the weight of expectation, with Knives Out — an updated whodunit in the Agatha Christie tradition — Johnson rallys an all star cast and lets them at a sprawling murder-mystery that is so tightly plotted that it is difficult to say too much without spoiling the fun. And the film, starring Daniel Craig as a dapper private investigator with a southern drawl, Lakeith Stanfield as his Watson and Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey, an extremely wealthy crime fiction author with a mysteriously cut throat, is a lot of fun.

Structured around Harlan’s death at a birthday party, the main suspects are his disgruntled extended family and the staff who help organise his life and home — aptly described as “Like a Clue Board.” Amongst assorted adult children, and grandchildren, the suspects include Jamie Lee Curtis as Harlan’s daughter Linda, Don Johnson as her slimy husband, Harlan’s son Walt (a bitter Michael Shannon), his wife Joni (Toni Collette), and Chris Evans as their delightfully skeevy son. There’s also Harlan’s nurse Marta (Ana de Armas), a Uruguayan immigrant with a distinctive condition: she can’t lie without vomiting.

Johnson played similar games with Brick, his hard-boiled high-school noir update starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As there, his affection for genre is obvious, with Craig’s gentleman detective and the grand old mansion setting (it’s faithful to our understanding of the typical whodunit. There is no mistaking this for a film of an earlier era though. Johnson’s script is riddled with up to date references to politics and social justice issues. From Jaeden Martell’s dweeby alt-right incel, to Katherine Langford’s specifically rich kid brand of hypocritical wokeness, the film wastes no opportunity in skewering worthy (Trump-y) targets and elite privilege.

Knives Out at HOME Manchester, Manchester 29 November — 12 December 2019 Tickets from £9 Book now

Performances

Date
Time
Session Features
29 November 2019
1:45pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

29 November 2019
5:20pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

29 November 2019
8:10pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

30 November 2019
1:45pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

30 November 2019
5:20pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

30 November 2019
8:10pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

1 December 2019
1:05pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

1 December 2019
5:15pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

1 December 2019
8:10pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

2 December 2019
12:50pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

2 December 2019
5:15pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

2 December 2019
8:15pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

3 December 2019
1:45pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

3 December 2019
5:20pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

3 December 2019
8:10pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

4 December 2019
1:45pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

4 December 2019
5:20pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

4 December 2019
8:10pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

5 December 2019
1:00pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

5 December 2019
5:50pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

5 December 2019
8:15pm

Accessibility Features

Audio Described

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

What's on at HOME Manchester

This Kind of Black at HOME
Until
TheatreFirst Street
This Kind of Black at HOME

Following a sell-out run in 2023, poet and musician Reece Williams returns to HOME with his hit show set in Moss Side in the 1990s.

from £10.00

Where to go near Knives Out at HOME

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally patriotic name The Ancient Britain.

Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Castlefield
Gallery
Castlefield Gallery

The influential Castlefield Gallery sits at the edge of Manchester’s exciting Castlefield district, an ideal home for thought-provoking contemporary art.

What's on: Cinema

Keswick Town
CinemaCumbria
Keswick Film Festival

Keswick Film Festival marks 25 years with a programme featuring some of the best of contemporary independent cinema, alongside select classics, and work from some choice Cumbrian talent.

from £5.00

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Feminist farce, a magical circus show and Oldham Coliseum return with a brand-new off-site show. All in our latest theatre guide.

Good Fridaze Family Social at Freight Island
Family things to do in the North

As we edge towards spring we take a look at the best events and activities for families, from theatre to festivals, dinosaur adventures to family raves.

Poet Evan Jones
Literature Events in the North

Some of our favourite leftfield live literature regulars are back with their first events of the year – we’ve picked a weird and wonderful heap we think you’ll love.

NEXT: A Primer on Urban Painting production still
Cinema in the North

Street art, LGBTQ+ History Month, and the first film festivals of the year are amongst our cinema highlights this month.

A painting of a young child being bathed in a sink of a 197s style kitchen. Around the sink are a rubber duck, a bottle of  washing up liquid, a jug, a kettle and a mug.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries are racing to announce new exhibitions so check out our top picks, from art films and nostalgic paintings to Hockney's collages.

FKA TWIGS
Music in the North

Masters of minimalism, leftfield electronica and cutting edge pop. We bring you the lot in our latest live music round up.