MovieChat Forums > Knives Out (2019) Discussion > Two Crucial Plot Holes ***Spoilers***

Two Crucial Plot Holes Spoilers

posted 5 years ago by TheFoxcatcher (59)
12 replies | jump to latest

1. When Ransom came again to the house, during the funeral, to switch back the labels as it originally was, he should have realized that the bottle with Morphine label is empty I.e. the bottle with Morphine content was full and the bottle with actual medicine was empty.

He should have realised then and there that Marta gave the actual medicines and not the Morphine.

2. How could Ransom kill Fran ? He was in the police car and getting interrogated.

Ransom and Marta were caught after the car chase. While Marta was accompanied by Detective Blanc in her car, Ransom was taken into the other police car with Lt. Elliot. They drove and started together. While on their way, at some point, Marta requested Blanc's permission to pull over at the place of meeting, telling that she wanted to collect some stuff.

How could Ransom be there and that too almost ten minutes before Marta, so that he could inject Fran with Morphine ???

Later, Detective Blanc tells Marta that Ransom spoke out the whole story and that Marta should now tell it all to him (Blanc) in detail during their enroute to the Thrombey's Mansion. So obviously, Ransom was with the Police custody and not loose enough to go and kill Fran before Marta's arrival at the meeting point.

I think, these two holes almost kills the movie.

[–] xantad (12) 5 years ago

1. The labels weren't switched. The fluids were. And you don't use a whole bottle for an injection. Even 100mg doesn't make enough of a difference to notice. Plus, the bag wasn't there. Fran had it.

2. He showed up at 8 and subdued her. Marta didn't go there until 10. But being so early, he couldn't have used morphine.

What gets me is that you can definitely feel morphine. He (the main victim) would have known it was the wrong drug.

[–] TheFoxcatcher (59) 5 years ago

1. The labels weren't switched. The fluids were. And you don't use a whole bottle for an injection. Even 100mg doesn't make enough of a difference to notice. Plus, the bag wasn't there. Fran had it.

Even in that case, he should still realize that the bottle with good medicine label is full and the one with morphine label is empty. Infact, if he switched the contents, he should be curious to know whether his plan worked or not by checking the bottle with Morphine content. Even if it was half empty (like how you say it doesn't make enough of difference), he would have still be satisfied.

Fran was the one who witnessed Ransom doing some thing with the bag. She took the bag later. And that's why she also collected the copy of the blood report as she felt it was something to do with injection.

2. He showed up at 8 and subdued her. Marta didn't go there until 10. But being so early, he couldn't have used morphine.

So you're saying that Ransom first went to the meeting place at 8.00 am and later met Marta which then ended up in a car chase.

But looking at the scene, Ransom had to be there 10 minutes before Marta because Fran was still alive and breathing her last. If he drugged Fran at 8.00 am, Fran would have been dead by the time Marta arrived.

Only solution is to believe that Ransom was expert in the knowledge of drug. He injected Fran only as much dosage enough to let Fran die in 2 hours and not faster. But again, Fran's blood report would've established the dosage and would disqualify Marta's role in drugging Fran because she had to inject lethal amount of dosage enough to kill Fran immediately after the time of her arrival.

[–] xantad (12) 5 years ago

1. You don't use the whole bottle while giving a shot. As I said before it wasn't empty.

2. I didn't say it, the movie did. When she got the note, it said 10am. The bottom was torn off. The original note said 8 (when Ransom got it).

The part that they should have explained is how she was still alive 2 hours later.

[–] MasterPenguin (165) 5 years ago

With the second point I have a feeling the movie may have planned to set up that Fran was a user and kind of hinted at that but never ended up fully going in to it. If she was a morphine user or an equivalent drug it would have potentially explained why the dosage didn’t kill her as quickly as she had a higher tolerance.

Without that extra bits though the movie does create a bit of a problem with the plot and the timing.

[–] BeaSouth (3290) 5 years ago

I agree. The whole Fran going to meet a known murderer at a dark, abandoned laundromat was in and of itself ridiculous

[–] captainburrito (128) 5 years ago

What does morphine feel like? I remember I had bad nerve pain and they gave me 2 injections but I actually felt nothing to my dismay.

[–] Tabbycat (878) 4 years ago

You feel woozy and a little high.
It hits quick.

If he’d had 100 mg he would have felt it in seconds but after several of the allotted ten minutes he’s still making plans with Marta. Dumb.

Guess that’s how “movie time” works: short enough to create suspense yet somehow always enough to get whatever the plot needs done.

[–] Filmtenk2 (4045) 4 years ago

Xanted yes I agree! If he had 100mg morphine IV he'd be on the floor, definitely would not be able to make up an on the spot murder plot. It was a plot hole but I still enjoyed the movie.

[–] Drooch (5333) 4 years ago

Harlan was given the correct drug, Marta ignored the labels and went on intuition, remember?

[–] Filmtenk2 (4045) 4 years ago

I'm not disputing that. Marta should have known based on what 100 mg morphine intravenous injection would do to a man right away. You're the second person on the internet recently to say "remember" when I knew what I was talking about probably more than you.

[–] Drooch (5333) 4 years ago

She does know, she says he’ll be dead in 10 minutes, remember?

[–] Filmtenk2 (4045) 4 years ago

It's not like you set a timer and go from bloviating to instantly dropping dead in 10 min. He was given 100 mg, the high end of a normal dose of morphine sulfate for sever pain is 15-17 mg. It was given IV which means straight into the vein. There's just no way. I've been wrong before and will be again but not about this. Like I said it didn't kill the movie for me at all I still enjoyed it very much but when you're in the medical field if you can't call bs on something as blatant as this then you probably shouldn't be working in that field.