OnScreen Review: "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
2019’s Knives Out was Rian Johnson’s terrific murder mystery that featured a strong ensemble cast around the star of the movie, Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc. Almost immediately after Knives Out was released, a sequel was planned, and three years later we have Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, released on Netflix for the holiday season after a short theatrical run in November.
Writer and director Rian Johnson does not mess with the formula that made the first one a success, bringing a new, inventive mystery to the screen. Filmed during the pandemic, it feels like one of the few films to embrace its circumstances and still find an effective way forward. Daniel Craig’s Blanc, in the doldrums as much because of the pandemic as because he is without a case to scratch that itch in his brain, is invited to the private island of a tech bro business mogul named Miles Bron (Edward Norton) for a murder mystery alongside Bron’s inner circle of friends, a group self-named The Disruptors. Miles reveals in short order that he did not actually invite Blanc, which sets off warning bells in Blanc’s brain, and soon, sure enough, there has been a real murder.
The Disruptors, headed by Norton’s Miles Bron, are an eclectic group that bonded at a bar years ago called The Glass Onion. The Glass Onion, in addition to being the title of a Beatles song, is also the name of Miles’ mansion on his private island; a nod to their past, but also a hint that Miles may be a bit as derivative as he is sentimental for his pals. Those pals include Gov. Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), a former supermodel turned social media influencer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), the lead scientist for Miles’ company Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Twitch streamer and men’s rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). Also along for the ride are Birdie’s assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), and Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). Shocking everyone, though, by her appearance, is Andi Brand (Janelle Monae), Miles’ former business partner who he recently pushed out of the company.
This ensemble creates enough moving pieces to keep the murder mystery bouncing along, with various motives for nearly everyone to possibly want Miles dead. They’re also a total hoot. Edward Norton is arguably the most enjoyable performance of the group, a parody of the Elon-Musk-type tech bro billionaire genius. That the character is so relevant and timely given Musk’s recent erratic behavior is pure serendipity for the film and both Edward Norton and Rian Johnson should send him a bouquet of flowers as a thank you.
Norton isn’t the only standout as Hudson is hilarious in her performance as Birdie, playing up the dumb socialite character to great effect. When her assistant proclaims early on that Birdie is not allowed to have her phone because she might tweet something offensive and racist… again… you believe her. Dave Bautista continues to bring something to the table in almost everything he is in; he continues to impress with how he has managed to carve out a very high quality second career as an actor after a long run in professional wrestling in the WWE. Monae also gives a solid performance in a difficult role. Hahn and Odom Jr. are also fine, but they feel under-utilized in their roles. But given the amount of talent on screen, they were probably more than willing to sign on for any role to be a part of this film.
The ensemble may change, but Blanc stays the same. Craig seems to be having an absolute blast with the character and seems a lot more comfortable and loose with the character this time around. While Craig’s Blanc was almost a co-lead with Ana de Armas’ Marta in Knives Out, he more of a clear lead here in the sequel, though he does end up having a sidekick in this one similar to Marta in the original film. But overall this is much more Blanc’s film than Knives Out was.
The twists and turns in this sequel are as fun and entertaining as in Knives Out. The script follows the same format of leaving out a few choice details to keep the audience from putting all of the pieces together on their own and then using the second half of the film to reveal the whole story. While this felt like a bit of a cheat to me in Knives Out, this time around I was more accepting of it because it allows the viewer to enjoy the ride of the story rather than constantly trying to piece everything together as the movie progresses. Knowing Knives Out did this last time and expecting it this time does make the seams a little more noticeable in that you can pick up a bit more easily that something is being withheld here or there, but the intricacy of the layers to this glass onion, as it were, are so enjoyable that it’s easy to merely make note of it and look forward to when the film chooses to fill in those gaps.
The other thing that stands out about Glass Onion compared to Knives Out is the sheer number of cameos, easter eggs, and red herrings littered throughout the film. Angela Lansbury, Stephen Sondheim, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, and YoYo Ma are just a few of the names that pop up at random in this film. Also, it needs to be said, for my own sanity, because no one else appears to be commenting on it, but there is a painting in Miles’ party room of Michael B. Jordan riding a lion that is completely uncommented upon. It is just there, inexplicably and without explanation. But that is part of what makes this movie so enjoyable.
Genuinely good, crowd-pleasing murder mysteries are difficult to pull off, but Rian Johnson has managed to do it twice now with this highly entertaining sequel. At this point, I fully expect he can do it a third time. Glass Onion is arguably one of the best films that Netflix has managed to get their hands on since they have gotten into the content creating business. While there are plenty of options in the movie theaters this Christmas weekend, the best viewing option might not require any drive time. Simply turn on Netflix and enjoy Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion in the comfort of your living room.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars