Tom Spearing’s review published on Letterboxd:
“What is this, CSI: KFC?”
Sharp, witty, colourful, and ingeniously orchestrated. Johnson takes a tired, age-old format and completely revitalises it.
The performances here are just inspired. Ana de Armas’ Marta is easily one of the most empathetic protagonists I’ve seen in recent years, you immediately want to root for her; Chris Evans shows off a sardonic side that I didn’t know he was capable of; and Daniel Craig utterly delights as the hopeless detective, Benoit Blanc, delivering one liners and convoluted metaphors in a wonderfully hammed-up Southern drawl. The entire cast here is exceptional, and they each get their moment to shine. Johnson clearly put a lot of thought into his characterisations, maintaining just the right amount of absurdity without letting things stray into full-blown parody. It’s a large part of why this works so well. There’s enough credibility to his depiction of a family of self-absorbed and utterly loathsome high-class vultures to let this work as social satire in its own right.
And of course, as basically everyone else has already pointed out countless times, this film is seriously good looking. The backdrops, the tailoring, the knitwear—they are all outstanding.
