‘Knox Goes Away’ Review – An Engaging Crime Thriller

Knox Goes Away is an atypical example of Michael Keaton’s career rebirth, which has led to a handful of memorable performances in strong, distinct movies. You have his universally acclaimed role in Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and his stunning supporting turn in Spotlight.

Then there’s the word-of-mouth hit of The Founder and the Netflix streaming film Worth. Even dominating television with the acclaimed series Dopeskick to a magical revival of Bruce Wayne in The Flash. Quite simply, everything Keaton touches (okay, we will give him a pass for American Assassin) reminds us of his talent, which has lain dormant for almost two decades.

The man has taken risks like no other since Nicolas Cage’s heyday of ’90s films. Keaton is now back behind the camera with another interesting choice in Knox Goes Away, a film that doesn’t always work but takes some real chances compared to other crime films in the genre that choose to play it safe.

The story follows Keaton’s titular character, John Knox, a hitman who is closer to working a job with his old school partner (The Continental’s Ray McKinnon). He prefers reading about the news in the old-fashioned way, where he could leave ink on the furniture. He becomes concerned about Knox when he deviates from the current plan—something unusual in all the years he’s worked with him.

Knox has to go out of town. He sees a neurologist, who gives him good and bad news. The bright side is it is not Alzheimer’s. The bad is that Knox actually has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that will be full-blown in a matter of weeks. His memories will vanish, but he will be left with feelings of pure elation or severe depression, and he will not know why. That means he has one last job before he calls it a career. Of course, things go bad—very bad—on his last mission.

Now, it’s only a matter of time before the police track him down. He has to get his affairs in order, including dividing up his money and assets among three family members. That’s until his long-estranged son, Miles (James Marsden), shows up at his door, claiming he murdered a man with his bare hands and needs his help. Knox has to help his son cover up his crime (and his own) with the help of his boss (Al Pacino) while ensuring his loved ones receive their share before it’s too late.

First off, Keaton is very good in the role of Knox, which is full of nuance and subtle shades that keep the viewer guessing. When we talk about that, we mean Keaton’s turn is what the viewer hangs onto, so the plot never becomes convoluted. The script by Gregory Poirier (Rosewood, National Treasure: Book of Secrets) does a clever job of planting obvious incidents where eagle-eyed viewers may question obvious errors but are rectified by the third act, which has a positive payoff.

Keaton has talent behind the camera, this being his first since the 2009 thriller The Merry Gentlemen. He has a real knack for creating evocative visuals that range from gritty when outdoors in moonlit streets to intimate up-close shots while indoors. Keaton is very careful not to tip his character’s hand, allowing his audience to feel the confusion and isolation of his brain betraying him. This storytelling tool builds suspense and is always engaging.

That being said, some of the choices made by Keaton and cinematographer Marshall Adams (God and Monsters) can be overdone, to say the least. Scene-by-scene transitions when Knox has episodes of dementia work well when important actions happen. For instance, in the first act, they enter their target’s home. However, they begin to become almost disorienting in a way. This technique is used a few too many times. A simple fade in and out during a scene to a new setting would have added to the subtle themes and plot.

While certainly not on the level of Memento, The Long Goodbye, or Before I Go To Sleep, Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away is worth watching for a couple of reasons. One, Keaton’s subtle portrayal is stoic but hints at desire and weariness. He is cold yet rational, with a lack of remorse and cool detachment, yet has a sense of yearning for a human connection that comes full circle.

The other is the fine cast, including Acadamy Award winners Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden, who help add depth to characters that normally would be one note. All of this helps a crime film like Knox Goes Away engage and entertain the audience through a story of disrepair and become whole again.

Knox Goes Away is currently playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Saban Films.