"Rian Johnson"

2023 · 2 Seasons · Peacock · Mystery, Comedy-Drama

Poker Face proved that the mystery-of-the-week format still has plenty of life when paired with the right creative vision. Rian Johnson built an inverted mystery machine around Natasha Lyonne's irreplaceable screen presence, delivering standalone episodes that play like miniature crime films with their own distinct tones and guest casts. The procedural format means some episodes land harder than others, and the overarching story never quite matches the strength of individual cases. But when it clicks, and it clicks often, Poker Face is the most purely entertaining mystery show in years.

2019 · Rian Johnson · 130 min · Mystery / Comedy / Crime

Knives Out is the most fun anyone has had with a murder mystery in years. Rian Johnson takes a genre that can feel dusty and museum-piece and turns it into something that crackles with energy and genuine surprise. Daniel Craig is having the time of his life, Ana de Armas gives the film its heart, and the ensemble cast chews the scenery in all the right ways. The social commentary doesn't always land with the precision of the mystery plotting, and some viewers will find the political thread heavy-handed. But as a piece of entertainment that respects its audience's intelligence while never forgetting to be a good time, it's very close to perfect. This is a crowd-pleaser that actually earns the crowd.

2012 · Rian Johnson · 118 min · Sci-Fi / Thriller

Looper opens with one of the sharpest premises in modern sci-fi and rides it hard through a first half that crackles with tension and dark wit. Rian Johnson built a world that feels lived-in and dangerous, and the collision between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis gives the concept real dramatic weight. The second half shifts gears into something slower and more contemplative, and the time travel logic frays under scrutiny if you pull at it too hard. Those are fair criticisms. What holds the film together is that it cares more about what these characters choose than about whether the timeline adds up, and that priority gives the ending a moral weight that pure sci-fi puzzles rarely achieve.

2017 · Rian Johnson · 150 min · Sci-Fi

The Last Jedi is the most visually ambitious and thematically rich Star Wars film in decades, featuring extraordinary performances and sequences that rank among the franchise's best. It's also the most polarizing entry in the saga, with structural choices and a controversial middle act that prevent it from achieving the greatness its finest moments suggest. A film that swings for the fences and connects about two-thirds of the time.