Nerdly » ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review

22nd Nov2022

‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review

by Matthew Turner

Stars: Daniel Craig, Ed Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Madelyn Cline | Written and Directed by Rian Johnson

Writer-director Rian Johnson returns with the first of two Netflix-backed sequels to his 2019 smash hit whodunnit, in which Daniel Craig reprises his role as Southern gentleman detective Benoit Blanc. (Though sadly, the marketing department seems to have bottled out of the film’s original sub-title: A Benoit Blanc Mystery).

Set at the beginning of the pandemic (which works because it gives everyone involved an extra layer of detestable privilege, though it could also date the movie faster than planned), Glass Onion begins with obnoxious tech billionaire and Muskalike Miles Bron (Edward Norton) inviting six of his pre-fame buddies to his luxurious private island resort. His intention is for them to play a murder mystery game of his own devising, in which he will be “murdered” and his guests will have to work out whodunnit.

However, Bron’s plans are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Blanc, the “world’s greatest detective”, who claims he received the same puzzle box invite as everyone else. Bron protests otherwise, but soon there’s a real murder mystery to solve and Blanc has to try and work out which of the guests dunnit. Is it puffed-up, macho YouTuber Duke Cody (Dave Bautista)? Frequently cancelled influencer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson)? Ambitious governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn)? Bron-employed scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.)? Or could it be Bron’s betrayed former partner, Andi Brand (Janelle Monae), especially since everyone is surprised she accepted the invitation in the first place.

As with the first film, Johnson (a self-confessed whodunnit devotee) has spent a great deal of time analysing the intricacies of the genre, with the result that the pieces all click into place in an immensely satisfying fashion. To that end, the script repays close attention to detail, as there are dozens of little clues scattered throughout, not all of which are eventually highlighted by the script.

This time around, Glass Onion also takes delicious pleasure in skewering its insanely privileged targets, all of whom are so-called “disruptors” of some sort. On that note, one of the screenplay’s cleverest tricks is the way the suspects are both terrible people, yet also not entirely without sympathy.

Without giving too much away, Johnson’s script also plays with the traditional whodunnit structure, only in an extremely satisfying way that won’t annoy the purists. That’s subverted right at the beginning – in one of the film’s best gags – when Blanc casually solves Bron’s murder mystery before it’s even started. Norton’s annoyed reaction afterwards is just one of several highlights.

Once again, Craig is terrific as Blanc, delivering a deceptively laconic performance that’s a joy to watch – it also leaves you eager to see his next outing, in the already planned third Knives Out mystery. Similarly, Norton is perfectly cast as Bron, and the similarities to a certain social media-related billionaire give the film an extra level of pleasurable schadenfreude that Johnson probably didn’t anticipate at the script stage.

The supporting performances are enormous fun throughout, with each actor really leaning into the black comedy element of the film. The stand-out – among stiff competition – is Kate Hudson (clearly enjoying herself), whose every line is a delight. One gag in particular, involving the word “sweatshop”, will have you howling with glee.

There are also a number of satisfying cameos, some deeply moving (whodunnit veterans Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim both make their poignant final screen appearances) and others that shouldn’t be revealed here. That said, there’s a running gag involving celebrity-endorsed products that has a couple of great payoffs, but is also a little overplayed and, like the mid-pandemic setting, is likely to date the film quite badly in future.

In short, Glass Onion is a hugely entertaining sequel that lives up to the promise of the original film and delivers all the requirements of the murder mystery genre in a satisfying fashion, while throwing in the occasional surprise along the way. It is also certain to demand an instant rewatch when it hits Netflix, which should go at least some way to justifying the reported $469m the streamer paid for the rights to the franchise in the first place.