The Movies That Inspired Knives Out (and Glass Onion)

If you end up watching any of these movies (or have already seen them), let me know what you think here! #CastMaggieSmithInKnivesOut2

Clue is such an easily quotable underrated gem. It's so dumb and fantastic and I LOVE it.

Has Tim Curry ever phoned in a performance? The man gives every role 110% no matter how small or petty.

Here for the 'Clue' love. You also left out the fact that Tim Curry is so amazing, he stands out not just from Christopher Lloyd, but ALSO Madeline Kahn and Michael McKean. Seriously, it's an absolutely stacked cast (another Knives Out feature!) that even as it's considered a classic, does not get the recognition it deserves as just a timeless, fantastic piece of cinema.

I was not raised by my mother, an avid mystery fan, to put up with this blatant disrespect of David Suchet’s Poirot.

"Why is it when something bad happens, it's always you three Maggie"

David Suchet is the ONLY Poirot

So glad Murder by Death made it in to the video! Maggie Smith's "Oh, that's tacky! That's REALLY tacky!" has become a fun throw around line in our family.

Clue is the only one of these movies I've seen and it's one of my favorite comedies of all time, it's just so goddamn hilarious and I love it to death

{ Meanwhile, in the future Knives Still Out trailer} "Detective, we seem to have a new suspect..." Blanc: "Anothaaa wone?" Maggie Smith: "Hello, Benneh..." Blanc: "Mothaaa?!!"

I hated her...SO...MUCH...It-it-th-flame, flame, FLAMES...on the sides of my face...

The man who wrote Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes, also wrote Downton Abbey. So in addition to all the similarities to Knives Out, Gosford Park also has the same upstairs/downstairs dynamic, overall look and feel, and casting of Maggie Smith as Downton Abbey.

Fun fact: The Last of Shiela was written by Stephen Sondheim, the famous Broadway composer and lyricist. It's the only screenplay/book he's ever written.

You know, you're really going to have to do a sequel to this where you talk about TV mysteries. I can already see the David Suchet stans in the comments coming after you! But really, he is the best Poirot. His performance is incredible, unquestionably definitive, and it's a shame it never made it to the big screen. The ABC Murders is the one I'd recommend as a starter.

Are you not watching David Suchet's Poirot.!!!!! His TV series is the best re-encation.

I know this is specifically about movies, but having just watched the Knives Out video and then this one, I feel like Columbo deserves a hat tip. The part in the previous video specifically about story structure is interesting if you apply it to Columbo. There, we see the murder happen first and foremost. Often Columbo doesn't even make an appearance until a third of the way into the story, and the killer and victim are the focus. To that end, it would seem to fit the "crime" genre rather than the "detective" genre. Columbo's performance going up against the murderer fits this too with the often playful back and forth which becomes more antagonistic on the part of the killer as they feel the net closing in. And then it feels like there is a genre switch into detective towards the end of the episode, when you realise Columbo how Columbo has pieced things together, leading into the big reveal. Some episodes do this better than others for sure, but I do enjoy the unconventional story structure of Columbo's mysteries, where the mystery for the audience is not "whodunnit" but more often "what clues did the killer leave/how will Columbo trip them up".

How could you forget Sleuth!!! This is the one movie I was waiting for you to mention since like Knives Out, Sleuth also has a healthy dose of class commentary.

Okay...but...David Suchet was the best Poirot.

Wrong.... Suchet is the best Poirot. End of. Case closed.

Just Write: The film stars Albert Finney as the best version of Poirot you'll find. Me: David Suchet says hello.