Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Daniel Craig is back as the deep south detective, Benoit Blanc, in Rian Johnson’s lavish sequel to his original murder mystery, Knives Out.
The clouds from its dark predecessor move out of the way for a more bright, lavish epic. Instead of the Thrombey family, Johnson pulls together a new group of characters led by Edward Norton’s tech bro, Miles Bron. The obnoxious Bron invites his friends who he calls “disruptors” to his private island to stay in the Glass Onion for a murder mystery amid the pandemic hysteria. Amongst his crew is politician Claire Debella, designer Birdie Jay, Youtuber Duke Cody, scientist Lionel Toussaint, and Cassandra Brand his ex-business partner who originated the idea of the company. The only relation to the first film is that Blanc is once again anonymously invited to the scene of the crime. This isn’t a real murder as Bron just wants to have some fun with his friends but things turn serious.
The genius of Johnson’s script is its play on the film’s title. The director asks his audience to pay attention to each detail only for it to play out later in the film. Each word spoken by the characters holds some form of significance that is key to solving this twisted mystery. With Blanc at the center almost as an observer, the audience is given the job to go against him to solve the mystery before he does. Like the first film, Johnson successfully immerses his audience into the movie by inviting them to the party. Johnson’s Knives Out series is a bit edgier than the average mystery, using satire to comment on its characters. In his second installment, he leaves behind the family dynamic and focuses on “founders". Founders idolize innovation and go by their own rules (often unethical) to get rich. He has fun making them the targets and constantly emphasizing how ridiculous they sound. The narrative slowly unravels its layers to expose the stupidity and hypocrisy of the so-called "disruptors”. It is mind-blowing that a human could conceive original murder-mysteries so sharp and clever with rich characters and witty reveals.
The standouts are Craig, Janelle Monae, and Kate Hudson. All three bring their characters off the pages into larger-than-life characters that feel like they could only exist in a book. Although this is a stacked cast, some characters feel underused and underdeveloped.
Glass Onion is undeniably a fun time and it is smart of Netflix to allow it a one-week theatrical release. All the gags and cameos make this a crowd-pleaser that is best enjoyed with an audience. Something about the original feels nostalgic in its fall setting in a pre-pandemic world. The original handles its mystery a lot better by keeping the audience guessing up until the final moments of the big reveal, where Glass Onion alludes to the culprit discreetly. There is so much fun in putting together the pieces throughout this glitzy vacation, but sadly its conclusion isn’t as satisfying as that Ransom Drysdale monologue.
Thank you Daniel Craig for leaving Bond to give us more Benoit Blanc!