Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Rian Johnson, who revived the classic whodunit for the modern age with Knives Out, brings master detective Benoit Blanc to a lavish Greek island. Set during the COVID era, the premise has a tech billionaire gathering his friends to play a murder game, where a real murder takes place. It is not as solid as the original, but the dazzling cast and sly humor roll the 139 minutes along lightly, a piece of craft worth about three and a half stars.

What it’s about — A murder game on a billionaire’s island

Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites his old friends to his private Greek estate. They are people, a politician, an influencer, a scientist, a fashion designer, who succeeded thanks to his halo. He has prepared a mystery game for the weekend in which guests solve his own murder, but the mood changes when the uninvited master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) appears on the island. And then, in a place meant to be a game, a real body turns up. Beneath the lavish glass mansion and dazzling sunlight, everyone begins to suspect everyone else.

Direction — Pile it up dazzlingly, then flip it all at once

Rian Johnson knows the rules of mystery well, and is skilled at playing with them. In the first half he piles up the characters’ relationships and alibis dazzlingly, then in the middle completely flips the perspective and shows the same events again. The thrill of scenes you absentmindedly passed over the first time arriving with an entirely different meaning the second is the core of this film. The visual richness created by the Greek sunlight, the glass-wrapped mansion, and the exaggerated production design is a pleasure too. That said, since the back half’s twist unravels somewhat bluntly rather than meshing together as intricately as the original, some viewers will feel that, in sheer density of the mystery, it falls short of the first film.

Performance — A sly Craig and a two-faced Monae

Daniel Craig once again plays the Southern-accented master detective Benoit Blanc with the utmost delight. Moving freely between gravity and absurdity, he brings life to the film in every scene he appears in. Edward Norton exquisitely draws a billionaire who acts clever but is actually hollow, succeeding in grating on the viewer’s nerves. Above all, the center of this film is Janelle Monae. Monae convincingly carries off a demanding role that must move between two faces, holding up the emotional weight of the story alone. Supporting players including Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista also each firmly claim their own moment.

What the film says — The hollowness left when you peel the onion

The title Glass Onion refers to a fake complexity that looks layered upon layers but is in fact transparent all the way through. Miles puts on the act of a genius, but his success is built not on real ability but on the silence and adulation of those around him. The film mocks how wealth and fame make a hollow person appear great. The scathing joke of this film is that the answer to the seemingly hardest riddle is unexpectedly simple, and that everyone has looked away from that simplicity. A satire of the cowardice of people clinging to a powerful man’s bluster is laid firmly beneath it.

Ratings & reception

Its IMDb score is 7.1 and its Rotten Tomatoes freshness is 91%. Its Metacritic score is 81, with thick critical support. Following the original, Rian Johnson’s mystery world continued its success at both the box office and with critics, and many feel Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc has firmly established himself as a series protagonist. That said, criticism follows that the construction of the mystery is not as tightly knit as the original.

Verdict

Glass Onion is an entertainment film that skillfully rolls a heavy message along in a light outer shell. In sheer intricacy of the mystery it falls slightly short of the original, but thanks to its dazzling cast, refreshing satire, and a structure more enjoyable on a second watch, there is no dull moment throughout. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc remains charming, and the discovery of Janelle Monae is especially valuable. If you enjoy it as a cleverly made vacation mystery rather than a hard-boiled puzzle to wring your brain over, it is more than satisfying. 3.5 stars.

Recommended for

• Those who like light, dazzling mystery entertainment
• Those who enjoyed the first Knives Out
• Those who want to see Daniel Craig’s sly detective again