X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 54 m
- 2024
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 54 m
Summary Hitman John Knox (Michael Keaton) attempts to make amends before his recently discovered dementia takes over. Aided by a trusted friend (Al Pacino) with his own shady past, Knox races against the police — and his own rapidly deteriorating mind — to save his estranged son (James Marsden) from a vengeance-fueled mistake and “cash out” befo...
Directed By: Michael Keaton
Written By: Gregory Poirier
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 54 m
- 2024
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 54 m
Knox Goes Away
54
5.1
Where to Watch
Summary Hitman John Knox (Michael Keaton) attempts to make amends before his recently discovered dementia takes over. Aided by a trusted friend (Al Pacino) with his own shady past, Knox races against the police — and his own rapidly deteriorating mind — to save his estranged son (James Marsden) from a vengeance-fueled mistake and “cash out” befo...
Directed By: Michael Keaton
Written By: Gregory Poirier
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
54
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
53% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
16% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
54
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
53% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
16% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Knox Goes Away” is, like its antihero, smart, unconventional and almost obsessively careful. Its unhurried pacing and mood of quiet deliberation won’t be for everyone; but this low-key thriller resolves its shockingly high stakes with a twisty intelligence.
Agreeable, multifaceted Michael Keaton has been away from the screen for a while, but as both star and director of Knox Goes Away, his fresh and sophisticated new crime thriller, he proves he’s forgotten nothing about how to invest an offbeat film with his own unique sensibility and control it with precision and power.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
5.1
50% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
30% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 User Ratings
5.1
50% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
30% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
IN A NUTSHELL:
The film was directed by Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning Michael Keaton, who also stars in it and produces it. Writing credits go to Gregory Poirier.
The story is about a hit man (Michael Keaton) who is diagnosed with dementia. He races against the police to save his estranged son while also trying to outrun the ticking clock of his own deteriorating mind. Knox is a contract killer with a conscience, as he only kills truly bad guys who deserve it. Before his criminal career, he was a college professor who loved books.
Producer Nick Gordon accurately described the film this way: It's steeped in all the themes and motifs of classic film noir: a gritty urban setting, a flawed and alienated protagonist, an undercurrent of cynicism and fatalism, and moral ambiguity. It's fresh and familiar at the same time."
I definitely enjoyed this more than most film critics and was thoroughly engaged the entire time.
THINGS I LIKED:
I adore Michael Keaton in everything he does. I was impressed with his direction and the layered character he created in this. Two of the films he starred in (Spotlight and Birdman) won the Academy Award for Best Picture back-to-back. He also made history by winning three SAG Awards. Will this film finally earn him a deserved Best Actor Oscar? He should, at the very least, be nominated because he does a stellar job.
Academy Award winner Al Pacino gives another great performance in this, and we even get to see him dance for a second. Gordon said that the first day Al Pacino stepped onto the set, "you could literally feel the energy shift on the set. He's a national treasure; it was a dream come true."
Another actor I love watching is James Marsden. We usually associate him with comedies but he gives an impressive dramatic performance in this.
To round out the talented cast, we get to enjoy performances by Oscar winners Ray McKinnon and Marcia **** Harden.
The dialogue is sharp and witty.
Fun Fact: The film was shot in only 25 days.
The Emmy-nominated cinematographer for the film was Marshall Adams, who created the look for the popular TV show Better Call Saul.
There is palpable tension throughout the entire movie.
I was so worried for Michael Keaton's character the entire time, especially when it seemed he was making counterintuitive mistakes. I was immediately invested in him, which is something not all films are capable of doing.
There are screen cards that show us the passage of time in weeks, which is very helpful for us to understand the passage of time.
I love the dual meaning of the title that refers to Knox's deteriorating mental state, as well as the threat of going away to jail.
The storyline of a character with dementia really hit home to me personally because my mother just passed away last year with dementia. It runs on her side of the family, so I've been doing a lot of research to learn what I can do to avoid it as long as possible. Wish me luck.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I had a hard time understanding what Polish actress Joanna Kulig said because of her thick, whispered accent.
Most of the scenes are at night or with subdued light, often making it difficult to see everything that's happening.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Some profanity, F-bombs, and crude comments
We see murder, dead bodies, and lots of blood
Talk of an abortion
Report
(Mauro Lanari)
A combo of drama and crime: "The Father" and "The Killer" but exempt both from the theatrical emotional blackmail of the former's senile dementia (Zeller 2020), which forced the moviegoers to cry as if under the effect of a tear gas, and from the latter's unjustified philosophical preparation (Fincher 2023). In the end the Krakow prostitute receives the protagonist's library and opens a book of it, "A Tale of Two Cities", the best-selling novel of all time, in the edition published by Union Square. I would have pressed the accelerator harder in the directorial moments of hallucination and mental confusion, however as a neo-noir it's perfectly fine too.
Report
Michael Keaton’s second go as star and director stumbles but rises again on the strength of Keaton’s ability to bring his bristling intelligence as an actor to his work behind camera in this darkly comic film noir about an L.A. hitman losing a fraught battle with dementia.
It isn’t the best in its genre, of course, but the commitment from Keaton, as actor and director, is more than enough for me to rally behind this film for another watch.
Knox Goes Away isn’t the first (or fifth) genre effort to play with memory, although it might be the flattest.
A vaguely promising premise is squandered in a convoluted neo-noir set-up.
There's an interesting story in here, and a far better Keaton performance within it too, but it is the kind of thriller that lacks the tension and excitement that it needed.
Interesting movie. A bit confusing. We've always liked Michael Keaton so it was okay. Basically it's about a father who saves his son for his own redemption. Not sure how this affects his son but that's part of why we don't rate it higher. We'd suggest: "go ahead and watch it because it's not anywhere near as bad as most movies these days."
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