I generally steer clear of the critical cliché of boasting that a movie is “... for the Trump era”, except where it’s truly earned and inescapable. Still Knives Out is a “whodunnit”... for the Trump era.

Knives Out is a murder mystery tied up in Trump-era fears of racial and demographic shift, anxieties about erosion of established privilege and social status, and dread at the prospect that certain classes may lose an inheritance they never earned. More than that, the whole point of the film is the way in which those entrenched interests weight the game in their own interests. Even the “genuinely selfless” Harlan Thrombley responds to defeat by throwing over the board in frustration. As such, Knives Out is all very, very timely.

Knives Out is also just a joyous cinematic experience, even the second time around.