Rian Johnson's Knives Out was one of the most purely enjoyable and rewatchable movies in recent memory. The murder mystery had so much fun paying homage to the compelling genre while also subverting many of its expectations. But the best aspect of the movie was its star-studded ensemble.
The colorful characters that make up this story add so much to the movie and elevate it beyond a simple whodunnit. The movie also has a great time playing around with who audiences might think are the good guys and bad guys, leading to some characters who are easy to cheer for and others who are fun to hate.
Ransom
Given how noble and heroic Chris Evans is as Captain America in the MCU, it's surprising to see him play the least likable character in any movie. But Evans was clearly having a ball playing against type as the entitled, spoiled and nefarious Ransom Drysdale.
Even before he shows up in the movie, Ransom doesn't come across very well. He is the black sheep of the family who treats "the help" deplorably and expects to float through life on his inheritance. In the end, Ransom is revealed to be much worse as he plots to murder his grandfather, successfully murders Fran, and tries to frame Marta for it.
Richard
Richard Drysdale is the father of Ransom and the husband of Linda. Though he chastises Ransom for his spoiled behavior, he is just as big of a freeloader as he relies on his wife's fortune.
It is also revealed that Richard was having an affair behind Linda's back and tried to threaten her father when he found out. Overall, Richard an ignorant man who pretends to be caring but really harbors narrow-minded and hateful political beliefs.
Jacob
Jacob is the youngest member of the Thrombey family and one of the most unnerving. He doesn't say much throughout the movie as he is constantly on his phone. However, the rest of the family says he has some disturbing far-right beliefs with Richard even saying, "The boy is literally a Nazi."
While Jacob stays in the background for much of the movie, once Marta is revealed to be the sole heir of his grandfather's fortune, he spews some vile and racist insults at her, proving his family was correct about his behavior.
Joni
Along with Harlan Thrombey's two living children, he also had a son who died before the events of the movie. Joni Thrombey is his widow and remains close with the family. However, it seems like she only does so in order to benefit from the money.
Joni is revealed to have been stealing money from Harlan and claiming it was going towards her daughter's college payments. When Marta gets the inheritance, Joni tries to get her daughter Meg, Marta's friend, to turn against her.
Walt
Walt Thrombey is Harlan's youngest child and he helps run the publishing company, though he actually does very little work. However, Walt also wants to profit off of his father's name and keeps pressuring him to sell the rights to his books.
While Walt also treats Marta like family, he quickly changes his tune when she gets all of Harlan's money. Walt still pretends to be a friendly and supportive person while also subtly threatening to expose Marta's mother as an undocumented immigrant.
Linda
Linda Drysdale is the oldest child of Harlan Thrombey and seems to step in as the head of the family after his death. She claims to be a self-made woman, despite getting a lot of help from her father. But unlike some of the other family members, she had no hidden secrets Harlan found out about. In fact, she seemed to be very close with her father and genuinely misses him.
Despite all of that, Linda is still driven by greed. She acts friendly to Marta at first, but when her money is threatened, she becomes the most vocal and terrifying voice against her.
Meg
Meg Thrombey is the daughter of Joni and someone who seems quite different than the rest of the family. She sees herself as a caring person and makes an effort to show support to Marta and the other staff of the house.
When Marta is named as the heir to Harlan's fortune, Meg initially thinks that the family should respect Harlan's wishes. That changes when she learns her mother cannot pay for Meg's university on her own. Meg's kind nature disappears as she tells the family about Marta's mother, though she does quickly regret it.
Harlan
Though he is dead by the start of the movie, Harlan Thrombey is a very important part of this story. He is a famed mystery novelist who has supported his family for many years before getting tired of their deceit and greediness.
Harlan is shown to have an extremely close bond with Marta and is willing to die to protect her. When he thinks he has been given a lethal dose of morphine, Harlan's only concern is ensuring Marta is not blamed for this and kills himself to keep her safe.
Benoit Blanc
Johnson has talked about his desire to follow detective Benoit Blanc on other mysteries, and given how likable of a character he is, it's hard not to get excited by the prospect. Blanc is a famed gumshoe who finds himself looking into the death of Harlan Thrombey.
Though he is compelled by the facts of the case, he is not a cold or emotionally cut-off detective like Sherlock Holmes but rather recognizes the good in people and seeks to punish those who have done wrong.
Marta
Knives Out sets itself apart from other murder mysteries by showing the audience what happened with the death very early on in the movie and showing that it is Harlan's nurse, Marta Cabrera, who is at fault. However, even this is not quite as it seems.
Though she seems to have made a terrible mistake, she is not some self-centered person only concerned with saving herself. In fact, Marta still thinks of others first even when she is at risk. In the end, she is revealed to be a good nurse who did everything she was supposed to. Despite being surrounded by some awful people, Marta remained a good person.