Directed by Rian Johnson, Glass Onion is a new Knives Out mystery that follows tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) who invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is put on the case to peel back the layers of this new mystery.
The first Knives Out film was a brilliant, refreshing, and masterful take on the whodunit genre so I was obviously very excited to see what Rian Johnson had in store with this sequel featuring a new ensemble cast, a new setting, and a new mystery afoot. What I didn’t expect was a sequel that was not only on par with the genius of the first film but also manages to outdo the first film in various ways. Rian Johnson once again delivers a whole new take on the whodunnit genre, giving a new mystery that is bigger and more complex compared to the first yet still completely unpredictable and full of masterful tension. It’s also highly entertaining with satirical humor of social media influencers and business moguls, all delivered with brilliant writing and strong performances by a dedicated ensemble cast.
Daniel Craig makes a grand return as the energetic and enthusiastic Benoit Blanc, delivering another one of my favorite performances of the year. I feel he had a lot more to do here compared to the previous film as he is actively involved with this mystery headfirst and finds himself involved with such a layered case that he’s just so excited to tackle. You could tell Daniel Craig had an absolute blast taking on this role again in a much more unrestricted manner given the new environment and the new characters he is working off of. Compared to the previous cast which consisted mostly of veterans, this cast consists mostly of actors and actresses who are from an entirely different generation yet they all bring their A-game to this story full of twists and turns.
Two of the major standouts are Edward Norton as Miles Bron and Janelle Monáe as Andi. Edward Norton perfectly plays the role of a sleazy self-absorbed tycoon and manages to eat up every single scene he’s in. It’s different compared to most of his past performances and you could tell he had fun with this role and everything he gets to do.
Janelle Monáe also delivers a perfect performance in an important role similar to Marta Cabrera from the first film but done in a very different way and given a much different performance. I can’t discuss much about her due to spoilers but let’s just say her range in this film is absolutely off the charts and deserves so much praise.
All the supporting performances are fantastic too, with quite the collection of personalities clashing together in ways never thought possible yet somehow work so well. Each character has their own motive that impacts the mystery and raises the tension as you don’t really know who is the culprit because most of these characters have something they would be willing to kill for, whether it be for personal gain or protecting their reputations.
Kathryn Hahn gives a subtle performance as a seemingly calm and collected individual that soon breaks out of her shell when things go crazy and she does so brilliantly. Dave Bautista continues to show versatility in his ongoing acting career, playing an intimidating but ultimately douchey character that is enjoyable to watch. We also get some great performances from Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Henwick who are all pulled into the craziness that unfolds due to their close relationships with certain characters.
But by far the most outrageous and hilarious of the lot is Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, a former supermodel turned fashion designer. Hudson goes wild with this role and truly gets the most laughs from me with her character’s self-entitled nature and funny reactions to certain events.
There are also some really fun cameos involved in this film that pop up that we’re unexpected but extremely welcome.
Rian Johnson made sure this film would not be a repeat of the first in terms of narrative and succeeds in delivering a sequel that stands on its own and acts as another refreshing take on the genre. Like the first film, there are plenty of subtle clues, setups, visuals, and foreshadowing that all lead to extremely satisfying payoffs later in the film.
There are so many hidden details that add to the film’s brilliance that people are likely to miss on the first viewing. But for those with keen observation and listening skills, they can pick up on important visual storytelling cues Rian drops for us that treat viewers as if they were detectives too, making them feel smart as things start getting pieced together by the characters. That being said this film throws in some major curveballs, making it impossible to easily predict what is going on and therefore keeps everyone invested. The worst thing is to be too predictable to the point where you know where everything is going every step of the way, which is a common cliche in some whodunnit films, but Rian manages to avoid it with his clever direction and writing.
With the film’s larger setting on an island compound in Greece, it allows for the technical elements of the film to flourish and go all out compared to the smaller and more restricted setting of the first film. Cinematographer Steven Yeldin captures the beauty of Greece perfectly as well as manages to enhance the tension of the mystery with his cinematography. It may not be as massive in scale in comparison to his incredible work in Star Wars The Last Jedi but it is still excellent here and it also makes the sequel feel like a bigger film in comparison to the first.
As for music, we get another stellar and fitting score from returning composer Nathan Johnson who did the first film and we get another fun soundtrack, including the very fitting song “Glass Onion” by the Beatles.
Glass Onion is another absolute knockout by Rian Johnson who has definitely developed a niche in this genre and always manages to keep us on edge with his twists and give us one hell of a time. The film will be streaming later on Netflix this December but honestly, it should have had a full theatrical release like its predecessor because it deserves to be seen on the big screen. And if the reports of their being another Knives Out story are true then I say bring it! Give me more Benoit Blanc cracking cases and uniquely satisfying murder mysteries with fantastic ensembles. I’m going to give Glass Onion an A+ = 100.
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