Knives Out (12A)

As the trailer played out before us, glances were exchanged – this looked nuts. Not good nuts, just nuts. And then Daniel Craig appears with that accent...

Yup, no way we were going to see Knives Out.

Until we saw the trailer again. When suddenly it looked a bit more fun...

So naturally, a couple of weeks later we find ourselves at the cinema and Knives Out is the only thing on at the right time. So shrugs all round and in we slump.

Only to emerge two hours later grinning like idiots having had more fun than should be possible sitting that close to a giant screen (our fault, we were running late).

You see, underneath the dodgy accent and slightly two-dimensional characters is a very funny script and a who-dunnit that shows just how bad Murder On The Orient Express really was.

The basic plot is classically simple – an obvious suicide which can only be murder. A family of suspects gather, all of whom had motive, while The Help is dragged around like a queasy Hastings to Daniel Craig's American Poirot.

None of which, we appreciate, sounds like a smashing couple of hours – but thanks to a water tight script and seriously slick direction, writer/director Rian Johnson (yup, the Star Wars one) delivers a huge dollop of entertainment.

Now, as we said, there is nothing original going on here – but when we have Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collete and Craig chewing the scenery with joy and gusto, how can you complain?

Curtis, especially, owns every frame she is in, but her co-stars all step up and deliver fitting performances, all clearly buying in to what Rian is after.

The only sticking point is Craig's accent – not because it's bad, but because one does not expect a southern drawl to come tumbling out of that face.

Once you get past that, though, he delivers a fine balance of quirk and Sherlockesque sleuthery.

But the excellent, lush, cinematography and great performances would all count for nowt if it wasn't for the writing.

Because the real jewel in Knives Out's crown is the script.

Observing Checkov's Gun to the letter (“If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there.”), not a word, scene or clue is wasted.

Nothing happens by accident, nothing is forgotten, and even when you think you've spotted something Rian missed, the traditional recap in the final scenes will tell you that you were wrong.

And that is the key to why this film is just so damn enjoyable – the attention to detail.

Everyone brings their A game, no shot is left to chance and every tiny detail matters in the whole scheme of things.

And it's been a while since we've been able to say that.

Oh, and there are more than a few subtle political jibes in there too. Which was nice.

In an era when big blockbusters are causing angst for the likes of Scorsese, it's genuinely refreshing to happen upon a film that just takes a good story and has fun with it.

It proves that both good storytelling is alive and well, and that if your film is good enough (and not four days long) it can still be made.

The fact it's still on several screenings a day also proves that if you film it, they will come.