Review - Knox Goes Away
Directed by: Michael Keaton
Written by: Gregory Poirier
Starring: Michael Keaton, James Marsden, Al Pacino
Running Time: 114 minutes
Rating: 1/5
A job gone wrong. A hit man with a target on his back. His memory fading. His family broken.
That logline above is everything you that a generic cashgab DVD sitting at the corner of the new releases bin (since 1995) at your local family stop-and-shop would be. It’s got dust on the cover. It’s on sale for $5 - maybe two for $8 if you can sweet talk the owner. It stars Michael Keaton, it’s directed by Michael Keaton and it’s got a solid b-list cast of James Marsden, Marcia Gay Harden and a practically invisible Al Pacino? I don’t know if you could even convince me that $5 is worth Knox Goes Away.
Maybe I’m too harsh but Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away is a dreadful exercise of a film that feels like it’s purposely trying to make you forget everything you’ve just sat through for the last two hours. John Knox, a contract killer for hire, finds himself at a personal and professional crossroads; when a job goes wrong, Knox decides to go away for good - but when his estranged son reaches out to him for help, he suits up for one last ride before finally moves on. The thing is, the only thing stopping Knox from effectively completing his mission - is himself. He repeats himself, he acts strangely, walking to different cars and unsure of what to say next. He’s diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare form of dementia that gives him days, not months, to say goodbye.
It is terribly ironic that Knox Goes Away explicitly tells the story of a man whose memory begins to fade and escape him; but its own audience can’t seem to keep themselves awake from its incoherent script and dull, bland character and narrative beats. Keaton, who I feel is/was in the midst of a career resurgence since Birdman has been constantly gracing our screens in TV’s Dopesick and most recently in The Flash. This is a derailment of any momentum Keaton may have had going for him, hopefully Knox goes away with a whimper, silently, if you will, to the deep trenches of the streamer libraries - audiences can even try to forget or ignore that this was a 2023 release, because it feels as dated as it could be.
From its haphazard editing to its questionable cinematography and disjointed screenplay; Knox Goes Away does have something beneath all of its weight - as its core narrative, while nothing new, has the potential to be something powerful, emotionally cathartic and even stylistically effective. Keaton doesn’t seem to unlock its potential, but crafts a film that feels exceptionally serviceable of the lowest pedigree. Even with its talented ensemble supporting cast, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura and even Marcia Gay Harden, they’re given little to work with (outside of Nakamura) and Marsden as the bumbling idiot son that feels like the character he was auditioning for in Jury Duty.
At the very least Michael Keaton is sort-of entrancing as John Knox; a psychological deterioration of his mind playing mental gymnastics as he pieces together his path, his motives and his purpose. He has a sense of control in his actions, decisions and moments of silence. His eyes dart from corner to corner, tying together what’s left of his sanity. The script felt like it was meandering and unsure of its audience - at times it feels gimicky, a neo-noir spoof, but also a self-reflective, dark, violent thriller that harkens back to the late 80s and early 90s box office sensations. Maybe I’m the wrong generation to enjoy this film. I think my dad would like it. Maybe just playing in the background, I guess.
Knox took too long to go away and now I’m suffering for it.
