The filming of Knives Out was not complicated. In fact, thanks to the excellent condition of the actors, the shooting progressed at a remarkable pace.
"During the scriptwriting process, I drew inspiration from many classic suspense works, such as the 1972 suspense film Footsteps."
During a break in shooting, Clint Eastwood asked Gilbert how he managed to create such a brilliant original script.
Gilbert began to expound, and his explanation was quite sophisticated.
"The overall artistic style of the film references Footsteps, while the plot structure draws on a large number of Agatha Christie's works.
Especially Murder on the Orient Express—this script has certain similarities.
Every character is filled with secrets, each has a motive for murder, and the audience follows the detective step by step, reasoning along the way, until the true culprit is revealed. This process is the most enjoyable part of watching such films."
Regarding the main storyline, Knives Out bears strong resemblance to Agatha Christie's debut novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
Similarly, in a manor house, the lady of the house, Mrs. Emily Agnes Ingersoll, dies of poisoning in her room, which is locked from the inside.
Knives Out uses a reverse-Christie-style original deconstruction of the story's timeline and narrative logic. The first third of the film sets up the background for the heroine, Marta, allowing the audience to care about her character.
Yet, before even reaching the halfway point, the truth about the wealthy Harlan is revealed, giving the audience an omniscient, godlike perspective.
Perhaps inspired by the excellence of these actors, Jessica Alba's performance steadily improved, and the crew's shooting progress accelerated.
After celebrating Christmas and New Year's, more than half of the film had already been shot.
Because the time from shooting to release was tight, post-production began simultaneously with filming.
The music was also composed concurrently, handled by Hans Zimmer, a frequent collaborator of Gilbert's.
On New Year's Day, Gilbert, coordinating with promotional needs, edited a thirty-second teaser trailer to attract audiences.
The response to this teaser was very positive; with Tom Cruise and Gilbert at the helm, box office success was nearly guaranteed.
The teaser carried the feel of classic golden-age suspense films, nostalgic and retro.
Nostalgia is a well-utilized element in Hollywood films and can attract a segment of nostalgic moviegoers to theaters.
In terms of filming techniques, Gilbert also employed retro and nostalgic methods, learning from suspense master Alfred Hitchcock, applying many of Hitchcock's cinematic techniques.
Additionally, Gilbert was simultaneously managing publicity for The Dark Knight awards season.
It's well known that not only the Oscars, but practically all superhero films face prejudice during awards season.
The Dark Knight, with a 9.4 rating, surpassed the 9.3 of The Shawshank Redemption, becoming the top of IMDB's Top 250.
IMDB users tend to be seasoned cinephiles; although manipulated ratings exist, it still reflects a film's quality and artistic value relatively objectively.
Yet, such values are practically worthless under the superhero film label; major awards clearly gave The Dark Knight little recognition.
Indeed, at the 66th Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2009, The Dark Knight only received the Best Supporting Actor award.
This was primarily due to Heath Ledger's outstanding portrayal of the Joker, widely regarded as the best villain in film history.
After discussions between Warner Bros.' PR and Heath Ledger's agent, they began lobbying for an Oscar nomination, aiming for Best Supporting Actor.
However, if Heath Ledger hadn't passed away, even securing a nomination would have been challenging, let alone winning.
Of course, Oscars can be influenced by lobbying. If Warner Bros. and Heath Ledger himself had exerted effort, the film could still have had a chance.
Having won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, Heath Ledger didn't forget to visit the Knives Out set to express his gratitude.
"I really don't know how to put it, Gilbert. I am deeply grateful to you."
Gilbert smiled: "You don't need to thank me, Heath. All of this was earned through your own effort. I should be thanking you, for your brilliant performance, giving us such an outstanding Joker.
Even now, people online debate whether it was the Joker who won, not Batman."
As for the struggle between Batman and Joker in The Dark Knight, it's hard to say who truly lost or won. The discussion itself becomes a hotspot, allowing everyone to form different opinions based on their understanding.
In a sense, this helps maintain the film's popularity.
The Dark Knight grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, and such discussions certainly contributed to that success.
After this film, Christian Bale had already entered the $20 million club, and Heath Ledger transformed from a niche art-house actor into a hot commodity in commercial cinema.
Scripts and invitations were flooding into his hands, yet Heath Ledger still wanted to collaborate with Gilbert again.
"Can I act in your film? The salary doesn't matter; I just want to work with you once more."
Heath Ledger expressed his request earnestly, clearly conveying his strong desire.
Tom Cruise, standing nearby, shook his head: "Heath, you're going too far. We all want to work with Gilbert."
"Yes!" Meryl Streep also laughed. "Actors around the world who want to work with Gilbert could line up from Los Angeles to New York."
This statement was a slight exaggeration, but it did illustrate Gilbert's popularity.
After all, appearing in one of his films meant a tremendous boost in commercial value. This is also why Tom Cruise was willing to lower his salary just to star in Knives Out.
"Don't tease Heath like that."
Gilbert stepped in to defend Heath Ledger: "He's an outstanding actor. Here's the deal: if a suitable role comes up, I'll give you a call."
With the course of history altered, Heath Ledger didn't die, and Hollywood seemed to experience notable changes.
Not long after Heath Ledger visited the set, on January 22, the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced.
Coincidentally, this was also the day Knives Out wrapped filming; the production was progressing very quickly.
After 38 days of shooting, this film, which was extremely easy for Gilbert to handle, wrapped and fully transitioned into post-production.
"I heard you're working with Leo on a film, an action sci-fi movie."
At the wrap party, Tom Cruise chatted with Gilbert.
"Leo's big mouth—he can't keep a secret to save his life."
Gilbert joked, then admitted: "Yes, it's basically my own 007 movie. But I've added some sci-fi elements, time concepts. I plan to tell a story that takes place within dreams. What do you think? Interested?"
"A story within dreams?" Tom Cruise asked curiously.
Generally speaking, dream-based stories are abstract and often hard to understand. This type of film tends to be obscure, which audiences usually dislike.
But thinking of Gilbert's skills, Tom Cruise felt confident it wouldn't be disappointing.
"Can I be the lead actor?"
"Are you sure you have the schedule? I've already promised Leo."
Tom Cruise considered for a moment: "Indeed, I don't have the availability. I can only express my regrets."
...
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