The Knife
Summary
A Black family has late move into a newfangled household in a not - so - safe neighborhood , but a routine even is cut off by an intruder . Chris ( Nnamdi Asomugha , who directed and co - wrote the hand withMark Duplass ) goes down to the kitchen to regain the reservoir of the haphazardness . In his hand is a tongue . Though he confronts the unknown , what just transpire between them is not show onscreen . And soThe Knifebegins on an anxious , tense note that it delicately continues to step up until the final second , leaving us on edge throughout a swift , emphasis - inducing 82 minutes .
Cast
Chris holler 911 , and a austere police detective ( Melissa Leo ) get her long interrogation of him , his wife Alex ( Aja Naomi King ) , and his two untested daughters ( Aiden Price and Amari Price ) . As the nighttime continue , The Knifeunfolds as a searing portrait of a snag - second decision and the agonising consequences it can have . Asomugha intricately and effectively craft a account that compellingly dive into what it ’s like to be Black in America , the complications that arise when trying to protect one ’s menage , and the use and bias of the law .
The Knife Is A Visceral Viewing Experience
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time
The Knifeis vivid , to say the very least . I was at the edge of my arse for nearly the cinema ’s entire runtime . And just when I think I could breathe a sigh of ease , the account pack a hard right and entrust me stupefied by its poignant and heartbreaking finish . Despite the high - pressure situation the reference find themselves in , the picture show still carries a lot of hope . Perhaps it ’s misguided hope , specially in a organisation that is n’t particularly fair , but it ’s there — the Leslie Townes Hope that things might turn out differently than expected .
It ’s masterful in developing a gnawing suspense that permeates the film , and never falters in engaging us from startle to finish .
The Knifesubverts expectation , even while leaning into certain tropes . At the same metre , there ’s a sense of heightened realness that is laced into the news report . It asks how far one is willing to go to protect one ’s menage from harm , while also showcasing the quick assumptions of the police force . Leo ’s tec infuse a false softness into her spirit ; you ’ll want to trust she require to get to the bottom of thing , but her eyes and demeanor say differently . She ’s smart and sharp , conveying how far she , too , is uncoerced to go to do her job , admit cutting corners and lying .
All this make for a nail - biting screening experience . Asomugha excels at creating and building tension ; the atmospheric state is teeming with it , and it spill over into every scene and second . It ’s in the terrified looks the characters give each other , the way their consistence fold inwards in distrustfulness and focus , and in the upsetting interrogations the family is forced to undergo . I was hook to the screen , ineffective to look away . If I blinked , would something unspeakable happen to the home ? Asomugha knows how to keep us on boundary , and it makes for an emotional viewing experience I clamber to shake .
The Knife Has Stellar Cast Performances
The film’s staging and final moments bring everything together
Of course , The Knife’scast is fantastic . This moving picture would n’t really work if the actors did n’t bring their A - plot . Asomugha pluck triple responsibility , but he bring his all to channelise , piece of writing , and acting , making it look effortless . As Chris , he ’s simply heartbreaking . His performance is laced with dread and panic . He holds his organic structure still , even as he resists the urge to take flight , aflutter energy abundant . King plays Alex with determination , a balance of emotional forte , simplicity , and nerves . Alex is doing the best she can under terrifying circumstance , and King successfully brings every look she has to the vanguard .
The cinema ’s action does n’t stray beyond Chris ’ front home and yet the way each room is use is sinewy .
Leo ’s detective is collected , observant , and middling stern as she question , prods , and lies her way through to get to what she believes is the truth . Because we ’re on the side of the family , Leo ’s role can grate on the nerves , but the actress does n’t overdo it . The ripe Place’sManny Jacintodoesn’t get much to do except look on with mistrust and wavering , but though his character , Officer Padilla , aver very minuscule , Jacinto ’s face is expressive and says a lot more than dialog ever could .
Ultimately , though , it’sThe Knife’sstaging that is splendid . The film ’s military action does n’t stray beyond Chris ’ front rest home and yet the way each room is utilized is powerful . At several spot , the tensity in the tune was so thick that it also created a sense of claustrophobia . The living room feel like a coop as Leo ’s character swooped in to query Chris and Alex ’s young daughter ; the front yard became itself a prison house the family could n’t escape .
And while the flashbacks to some of the earlier events of the film proved unnecessary , The Knifeis first-class in its dissection of being Black in America , the choices we make to protect loved 1 , and the consequences of those alternative . It ’s masterful in developing a gnawing suspense that permeate the film , and never stutter in engaging us from start to finish .
The Knifepremiered at the 2024Tribeca Film Festival .
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After a secret interloper enter their home plate , a young family is interrogated by a relentless detective and must reckon with the fallout of an investigation that threatens their blotto façade .
