History Characters / KnivesOut

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[[folder: Hugh "Ransom" Drysdale]]

[[folder:Linda Drysdale]]

!The Investigators

[[folder: Benoit Blanc]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/film_holidays_18_1574806723.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''The Last of the Gentleman Sleuths'']]
-> '''Played By:''' Creator/DanielCraig

A famed detective hired to investigate Harlan Thombey's death.
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* BatDeduction: There's a scene where he's rambling to himself while Marta is driving. It's established later that this trail of thought is what allows him to crack the case.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Seems to be operating on a different wavelength from most of the people around him, but is still very competent at his job.
* {{Expy}}: He has a funny accent, and a French-sounding name that is mispronounced on a few occasions. At the end of the movie he brings major characters and police into a room and runs through the entire case from the beginning. In other words, he's a Literature/{{Poirot}} Expy.
* FamedInStory: A New Yorker article profiled him soon before the events of the movie, making him known to several characters [[spoiler:and giving Ransom the inspiration to hire him]].
* GentlemanDetective: Described as such in his New Yorker profile, and fits the part to a T.
* HeroAntagonist: [[spoiler: He temporarily becomes one to Marta when she tries to hide her apparent part in Harlan’s death and then work with Ransom to find the blackmailer.]]
* InTheBlood: Mentions that his father was a well-regarded police detective who knew Harlan Thombey.
* NoodleIncident: The case with the tennis pro.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: A good portion of the film makes it unclear if he’s totally incompetent or a BunnyEarsLawyer, but in the end he turns out to be the GreatDetective his reputation suggested.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Blanc never uses a ten dollar word when a twenty dollar word would do.
* SouthernFriedGenius: Comes from the Deep South, complete with gravy-thick accent, and is a very skilled detective.

[[folder: Lieutenant Elliot]]
[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lakeith_stanfield_nives_out_1562087257.png]]
[[caption-width-right:328:''"That had to have been the dumbest car chase of all time."'']]
-> '''Played By:''' Creator/LakeithStanfield
The lead investigator into Harlan Thombey's death.
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* ByTheBookCop: Just wants to get the case solved and has little patience for Benoit Blanc's flamboyance, although he does appreciate his contributions when they come.

[[folder: Trooper Wagner]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knives_out_noah_segan_leather_jacket.jpg]]
-> '''Played By:''' Noah Segan

Lieutenant Elliot's partner in the investigation, and a big fan of Benoit Blanc.

* BreakTheCutie: Becomes subject to this after enduring quite a bit of emotional trauma. She can only take so much, after all.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Marta is by far the nicest person who's been under the roof of the Thrombeys, but after everything she endured, she [[spoiler:secures Harlan's will by standing up to the Thrombeys.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:She thinks she kills Harlan by giving him the wrong dosage of medicine. This trope ensues.]]
* NiceGirl: Very much so. Marta is incredibly kind and well-meaning, which is why [[spoiler:Harlan gave her the inheritance to the mansion.]]

* BrilliantButLazy: Downplayed, but (as described below) Ransom refuses to work and yet demonstrates a lot of intelligence when he speaks to Marta after the will reading[[spoiler:and when planning the cover-up about his own role in Harlan's death]].

* TokenGoodTeamate: [[spoiler:He was the only one of the family who never (intentionally) did anything wrong to Marta.]]

-> '''Played By:''' Creator/JaimeLeeCurtis

[[caption-width-right:318:some caption text]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Marta is by far the nicest person who's been under the roof of the Thrombeys, but after everything she endured, she [[spoiler: secures Harlan's will by standing up to the Thrombeys.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: She thinks she kills Harlan by giving him the wrong dosage of medicine. This trope ensues.]]
* NiceGirl: Very much so. Marta is incredibly kind and well-meaning, which is why [[spoiler: Harlan gave her the inheritance to the mansion.]]

* DramaQueen: Loves to get in public arguments, which made his closed-door blow-up with [[spoiler: Ransom]] on his birthday all the more unusual. [[spoiler: This ends up killing him, as instead of letting Marta call an ambulance he concocts an overly complex and dramatic plan to commit suicide so that she wouldn't be implicated in his death, though it was later revealed he wasn't actually dying.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He can be curt, and spends most of his birthday alienating his family by cutting them off, but means well and wants them to learn self-sufficiency. [[spoiler: He also gives his will to his nurse and best friend Marta.]]

* TokenGoodTeamate: [[spoiler: He was the only one of the family who never (intentionally) did anything wrong to Marta.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Is initially affectionate and kind to Marta [[spoiler: but then attempts to blackmail her with her mother's undocumented status]].

* BrilliantButLazy: Downplayed, but (as described below) Ransom refuses to work and yet demonstrates a lot of intelligence when he speaks to Marta after the will reading[[spoiler: and when planning the cover-up about his own role in Harlan's death]].

* ItsAllAboutMe: Ransom [[spoiler: claims to be looking out for his "birthright", but couldn't care less about the rest of his family as long as he gets his own share.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's a loud-and-proud asshole when first introduced. [[spoiler: Then, he seemingly earns the trust of Marta to help her get to the bottom of the case, only to be revealed later on to have framed her for the murder of Harlan Thrombey out of greed and never indicates that forcing Marta to kill her best friend and his grandfather which would ruin her life and then, when he finds out she avoided his trap, framing her for the crime is something he has any compunctions about.]]

A famed detective hired to investigate Harlan Thombey's death

* PluckyComicRelief

* DramaQueen: Loves to get in public arguments, which made his closed-door blow-up with [[spoiler: Ransom]] on his birthday all the more unusual.

[[caption-width-right:350:''The Last of the Gentleman Detectives'']]

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's a loud-and-proud asshole when first introduced. [[spoiler: Then, he seemingly earns the trust of Marta to help her get to the bottom of the case, only to be revealed later on to have framed her for the murder of Harlan Thrombey out of ''spite.'']]

* CannotTellALie: Literally, physically can’t. A medical condition makes it so she vomits upon telling a lie. This naturally makes things difficult for her over the course of the film.

* ThePatriarch

[[caption-width-right:350:Eat Shit]]

* MiddleNameBasis: He is only called "Hugh" by his grandfather's employees.

[[caption-width-right:350: The Last of the Gentleman Detectives]]

[[caption-width-right:328:"That had to have been the dumbest car chase of all time."]]

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/MichaelShannon, usually cast as imposing and unstable authority figures, here plays Walt as a whiny and petulant weakling.

[[folder:Hugh "Ransom" Drysdale]]

[[folder:Benoit Blanc]]

* FamedInStory: a New Yorker article profiled him soon before the events of the movie, making him known to several characters [[spoiler:and giving Ransom the inspiration to hire him]].
* GentlemanDetective: described as such in his New Yorker profile, and fits the part to a T.

[[folder:Lieutenant Elliot]]

[[folder:Trooper Wagner]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He can be curt, and spends most of his birthday alienating his family by cutting them off, but genuinely means well and wants them to learn self-sufficiency.

[[folder: Harlan Thrombeys]]

!The Suspects

[[folder:Hugh "Ransom" Drysdale]]
Linda and Richard's son.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's a loud-and-proud asshole when first introduced. [[spoiler: Then, he seemingly earns the trust of Marta to help her get to the bottom of the case, only to be revealed later on to have framed her for the murder of Harlan Thrombey out of ''spite.'']]
* MeaningfulName: His name is given as "''Ransom''". [[spoiler:Guess what his motive is.]]

!The Investigators

[[folder:Benoit Blanc]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/film_holidays_18_1574806723.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: The Last of the Gentleman Detectives]]
A famed detective hired to investigate Harlan Thombey's death
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Seems to be operating on a different wavelength from most of the people around him, but is still very competent at his job.
* {{Expy}}: He has a funny accent, and a French-sounding name that is mispronounced on a few occasions. At the end of the movie he brings major characters and police into a room and runs through the entire case from the beginning. In other words, he's a Literature/{{Poirot}} Expy.
* FamedInStory: a New Yorker article profiled him soon before the events of the movie, making him known to several characters [[spoiler:and giving Ransom the inspiration to hire him]].
* GentlemanDetective: described as such in his New Yorker profile, and fits the part to a T.
* InTheBlood: Mentions that his father was a well-regarded police detective who knew Harlan Thombey.
* SouthernFriedGenius: Comes from the Deep South, complete with gravy-thick accent, and is a very skilled detective.

[[folder:Lieutenant Elliot]]

[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lakeith_stanfield_nives_out_1562087257.png]]
[[caption-width-right:328:"That had to have been the dumbest car chase of all time."]]
The lead investigator into Harlan Thombey's death.
* ByTheBookCop: Just wants to get the case solved and has little patience for Benoit Blanc's flamboyance, although he does appreciate his contributions when they come.