- Director: Rian Johnson
- Year: 2019
Overview
Harlan Thrombey, a wealthy mystery writer, dies under suspicious circumstances at his estate after his birthday party. Detective Benoit Blanc is hired to investigate the family, who all have financial motives to kill Harlan. Harlanβs nurse, Marta, knows that she accidentally gave him a lethal dose of morphine and that Harlan committed suicide to protect her. However, the will reveals that Harlan left his entire fortune to Marta, turning the family against her. Marta tries to navigate the investigation without lying, as she throws up whenever she tells a lie. Blanc eventually uncovers a plot by Harlanβs grandson, Ransom, to frame Marta.
Takeaways
The Thrombey family is a bunch of parasites who depend completely on Harlan's wealth while pretending to be self-made. Marta's habit of throwing up when she lies makes it incredibly hard for her to hide the truth, forcing her to be creative with what she says. Ransom tries to frame her by switching the medicine labels, but his plan fails because he doesn't realize Marta is good at her job and gave the right dose by instinct anyway. When the family tries to bully Marta out of her inheritance, they fail because Harlan's will is ironclad. It shows that sometimes being a decent, competent person is the best shield against greedy, scheming relatives.