Knox Goes Away is a 2023 American crime thriller film directed by Michael Keaton and written by Gregory Poirier. It stars Keaton, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura, Joanna Kulig, Ray McKinnon, John Hoogenakker, Lela Loren, Marcia Gay Harden, and Al Pacino.
| Knox Goes Away | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Keaton |
| Written by | Gregory Poirier |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Marshall Adams |
| Edited by | Jessica Hernandez |
| Music by | Alex Heffes |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 114 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $246,904[2] |
It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on March 15, 2024, by Saban Films.
Plot edit
John Knox works a day-to-day job as a contract killer employed by Xavier Crane, a crime boss. He is estranged from his wife and son and dates a Cracovian immigrant named Annie, who shares his love for books. Knox is later diagnosed with a fast-moving form of dementia called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. He quickly makes arrangements to cash out and retire from the business. Before that, he undertakes one last job with his partner, Thomas Muncie.
During the job, after successfully killing his target, Knox accidentally kills Muncie in his dementia-fueled confusion. He quickly stages the scene and leaves. That night, he is suddenly visited by his estranged son Miles, who tearfully admits to killing a man for raping his daughter, Knox's granddaughter. Knox instructs his son to remain quiet to the authorities as he later arrives at the crime scene and meticulously removes evidence that may incriminate Miles, while mysteriously storing them away for later use. Meanwhile, dogged detective Emily Ikari is on both murder cases, determined to pinpoint the perpetrator.
Knox later visits his friend and boss Xavier Crane, a crime lord. Together, they cook up a plan to set Knox's family up for life while leaving the business behind, all while Knox battles his fading mental state. Meanwhile, Detective Ikari links both crimes to a single perpetrator. She interrogates Knox to no effect. He plants the evidence he had previously stored away around his son Miles' home, seemingly betraying him. Miles is arrested for the murder of his daughter's rapist, and is confronted by Knox in prison, where Knox accuses Miles of ratting him out in a tax evasion case several years prior. After getting lost in the woods after digging up his stash of diamonds at a cabin his family used to own, Knox is picked up by Crane and driven home. Upon reaching home, he is confronted by a group of burglars and Annie, who had become aware of Knox's dementia and the fact that he had been cashing out and ratted him out as a result. Killing them all, Knox confronts Annie at gunpoint and informs her that she would have gotten a share anyways. Her life is spared, and in the end receives only Knox's books. Despondent, Knox calls Xavier, who wishes him fortune before informing the police as part of their plan, whereupon he is arrested by Detective Ikari. The police later discover signs that the evidence found at Miles Knox's house may have been tampered with, and planted there by Knox, leading to the conclusion that Knox may have framed his own son for the murder. When asked by Ikari on a possible motive, Miles, recalling his father's accusation of him in prison, responds accordingly, shifting the blame fully over to Knox. He is then released.
Several weeks later, Miles visits his father in prison. Knox, now having fully lost his mental faculties, does not recognize his own son and is later moved from prison to a medical facility, having only weeks left to live. Miles, and his mother receive equal shares of Knox's fortune, ensuring the completion of his retirement plan. Annie is shown receiving Knox's library and opening the cover of A Tale of Two Cities. The film ends with a catatonic Knox staring out a window.
Cast edit
- Michael Keaton as John "Aristotle" Knox
- Al Pacino as Xavier Crane
- Marcia Gay Harden as Ruby Knox
- James Marsden as Miles Knox
- Suzy Nakamura as Detective Emily Ikari
- John Hoogenakker as Detective Rale
- Joanna Kulig as Annie
- Ray McKinnon as Thomas Muncie
- Lela Loren as Cheryl Knox
- Dennis Dugan as Philo Jones
Production edit
Michael Keaton directed the film from a script by Gregory Poirier.[3] Principal photography took place from October to December 2022 in Los Angeles.[4][5]
Release edit
Knox Goes Away had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023.[6][1] In November 2023, Saban Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, later scheduling the film for a theatrical release on March 15, 2024.[7][8]
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 61% of 70 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Michael Keaton directs Michael Keaton in Knox Goes Away, and gets a terrific performance out of himself -- albeit one that's left stranded by an underwhelming screenplay."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b "Knox Goes Away". TIFF. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Knox Goes Away". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (May 6, 2022). "Michael Keaton To Star In & Direct Noir Thriller 'Knox Goes Away' – Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ "Knox Goes Away Production List". Film & Television Industry Alliance. September 19, 2022. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (December 15, 2022). "James Marsden, Marcia Gay Harden And Al Pacino Among Those Starring In Michael Keaton-Directed Thriller 'Knox Goes Away'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Lang, Brent (July 24, 2023). "Toronto Film Festival 2023 Lineup Includes Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Anna Kendrick, George C. Wolfe and Ethan Hawke Movies". Variety. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 29, 2023). "Michael Keaton Thriller 'Knox Goes Away' Lands At Saban Films, Eyes Early 2024 Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (February 1, 2024). "Michael Keaton Thriller 'Knox Goes Away' Sets Release Date With Saban Films". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Knox Goes Away". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Knox Goes Away". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
