Daniel Craig Saved Knives Out’s Ending Reveal With 1 Brilliant Request

The iconic ending to the 2019 mystery movie Knives Out was made thanks to a special request from its leading star. Directed by Rian Johnson, the movie depicts private detective Benoit Blanc, being called to investigate the suspicious death of Harlan Thrombey. Thrombey’s death is officially ruled as a suicide, but Blanc suspects foul play and investigates multiple clues to uncover the true manner of death; soon he learns that every member of Thrombey’s family had a motive for murder and tries to decipher who the killer is.

Knives Out starred Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, and he leads an ensemble of eleven actors including Ana de Armas, Don Johnson, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie was acclaimed worldwide, receiving praise for its casting, screenplay, and humorous take on the murder mystery genre; it saw an equally impressive sequel, Glass Onion, released in 2022, with a third movie scheduled for production in 2024. The movie’s success was helped by its thrilling ending, which was brought about thanks to a request from Daniel Craig.

Daniel Craig’s Filming Request Is The Reason Knives Out’s Ending Is So Iconic

At the end of Knives Out, the mystery of who killed Harlan Thrombey is solved, with it being revealed that his grandson, Ransom, was the murderer and that he tried to frame Harlan’s nurse, Marta, for the crime. When explaining his suspicions, Blanc gives his infamous “donut within a donut” speech to explain the depths of the crime and how Ransom framed Marta; this leads to Ransom being arrested and Marta receiving her inheritance.

In interviews for the sequel, Daniel Craig revealed that he had a special request for filming his infamous speech; there were initial plans for Blanc to make the speech with potential flashbacks, but Daniel Craig requested that he, instead, perform the dialogue in one long take, without any cuts. This decision added a more natural flow to the movie’s ending and helped showcase both Blanc’s and Marta’s emotions towards solving the case.

Knives Out Wouldn’t Be The Same Without Benoit Blanc’s Final Speech

Knives Out was a thrilling and comedic mystery movie that offered a suspense-filled whodunnit with plenty of suspects who fit the crime. The movie wouldn’t have had such an iconic ending, had it not been for Benoit Blanc’s final speech about “donuts within donuts”. Blanc’s eccentric explanation of Thrombey’s murder reminds viewers that not everything is as it seems and that sometimes, one has to dig deeper to find the true answers (via Collider).

Blanc’s speech pays homage to the detective’s eccentric manner in solving the mystery and is the culmination of the fun and humor seen throughout the film. Craig’s passionate performance of Blanc, shown throughout the story, is truly brought out in this scene and sets the tone perfectly for the conclusion. His final eccentric speech perfectly reflects the humor and mystery seen throughout the film, and Knives Out wouldn’t have ended the same had it not been included.