The Knife

With just a few subtle strokes, the screenplay underscores how everyone here is fudging the truth a bit, and its restraint is the film’s quiet strength.

It’s a well-acted, competently filmed work that ends on a gut-wrenching note

With its twists and rug-pulls, “The Knife” makes for an absorbing drama, but it’s also deeply exasperating in that it feels less like a social commentary grounded in reality than an edgy play on emotions.

A domineering performance from Melissa leo as a detective pursuing the truth beyond acceptable reasoning makes The Knife feel like one of the fresher and more intriguing mysteries this year.