Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Starring Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista
Directed by Rian Johnson
The whodunit genre has been practically monopolized by the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, and its appeal was waning in recent years due to its somewhat archaic nature of having a group of people together, a murder being committed, everyone involved having a solid motive, and one lone detective to sort everything out, gathering everyone in one room to slowly reveal his findings. Then came Rian Johnson, who turned the whodunit genre on its head with his own unique spin called "Knives Out" in 2019, and created his own modern-day detective, Benoit Blanc, a Foghorn Leghorn speaking Southerner who's eccentricities help deduce the most mind-bending mysteries. With a highly capable ensemble cast and a script so cleverly written that it defied anything that came before, "Knives Out" became an audience and critic sensation, and the long-awaited sequel only ups the ante in every way.
Billionaire tech company founder Miles Bron (Edward Norton) always invites his closest friends to an adventure every year, including governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), and men's rights activist and streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). This year they're invited to his private island to participate in a murder mystery game, but they're not alone - Birdie's assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick) and Duke's girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), along with former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monae) and detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who doesn't know anyone associated with the get-together. From the get-go it seems that there's some disguised negativity between the friends, and during the course of the weekend they escalate to full-blown murder, where everyone is a suspect and only the mind of Benoit Blanc can peel back the layers to find the truth inside.
The first "Knives Out" focused on a wealthy author who's found dead, and every member of his money-grubbing family was a suspect. While featuring the talents of Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, and Toni Collette, it seemed that their roles were very diminished and set on the backburner in favor of focusing on Craig's Blanc and Ana de Armas's forlorn nurse. Here, the stacked ensemble cast gets a lot more to do and pretty much each of them has their own moments to shine, as well as giving their characters the skewering deserved for the wealthy elite. Much like "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Menu" before it, "Glass Onion" is more a scathing look at the wealthy elite than anything else, and once again its the mild-mannered detective who comes out on top.
Daniel Craig reprises his role as Benoit Blanc with reckless abandon, once again showing how much he cherishes and enjoys the role as he seems to be having the time of his life with the meaty script he received from Rian Johnson. Blanc sees things that no one else does, keeps secrets like no one else, and has a truly beautiful mind that connects the smallest of details that requires you to go back and re-watch the film to pick up on the minuscule facts - but you don't mind because the entire film is a joy ride from start to finish, filled with intrigue, murder, deception, and a hefty amount of humor thrown in.
The cast of suspects and victims are exceptional once again, and allows more breathing room for this whodunit genre. Edward Norton's Miles Bron is an obvious nod to Elon Musk, as his personality is larger than life that could possibly harbor some nefarious purposes. Kathryn Hahn's Claire is your typical backstabbing government official who would go to great lengths to protect her secrets. Leslie Odom Jr.'s Lionel is the most underdeveloped, serving solely as Miles's lead scientist who goes against his boss's wishes and could stop at nothing to stop him. Kate Hudson's Birdie is your typical social media influencer who's brain doesn't quite work on all cylinders (she thinks sweatshops are places where you make sweatpants) and gets into trouble by posting inappropriate tweets, and Dave Bautista's Dusty is your typical Joe Rogan-type mansplainer who's more muscle than brain. Then there's Janelle Monae, who shines as the mysterious Andi Brand, the fish out of water of the group who has been damaged by everyone there, and who's presence is a constant source of unease for everyone else. She excels and takes on the Ana de Armas role here, working with Blanc while also exposing the hypocrisy going on around her.
The story is a spellbinding one, and one that requires you to go back afterward to pick up on the clues that you missed - but Blanc found right away. It also diverts your attention in a way that reverts back to itself, making you see the characters in a different light than before. This threatens to unravel the film if it wasn't done right, but under Rian Johnson's capable hands, much like the metaphorical Glass Onion itself, serves as a way to peel back all the different layers of storytelling to get to its exciting finish. Held up by a highly capable cast with Daniel Craig at the lead, "Glass Onion" is a welcome addition to the "Knives Out" franchise.
The Score: A+
Billionaire tech company founder Miles Bron (Edward Norton) always invites his closest friends to an adventure every year, including governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), and men's rights activist and streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). This year they're invited to his private island to participate in a murder mystery game, but they're not alone - Birdie's assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick) and Duke's girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), along with former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monae) and detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who doesn't know anyone associated with the get-together. From the get-go it seems that there's some disguised negativity between the friends, and during the course of the weekend they escalate to full-blown murder, where everyone is a suspect and only the mind of Benoit Blanc can peel back the layers to find the truth inside.
The first "Knives Out" focused on a wealthy author who's found dead, and every member of his money-grubbing family was a suspect. While featuring the talents of Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, and Toni Collette, it seemed that their roles were very diminished and set on the backburner in favor of focusing on Craig's Blanc and Ana de Armas's forlorn nurse. Here, the stacked ensemble cast gets a lot more to do and pretty much each of them has their own moments to shine, as well as giving their characters the skewering deserved for the wealthy elite. Much like "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Menu" before it, "Glass Onion" is more a scathing look at the wealthy elite than anything else, and once again its the mild-mannered detective who comes out on top.
Daniel Craig reprises his role as Benoit Blanc with reckless abandon, once again showing how much he cherishes and enjoys the role as he seems to be having the time of his life with the meaty script he received from Rian Johnson. Blanc sees things that no one else does, keeps secrets like no one else, and has a truly beautiful mind that connects the smallest of details that requires you to go back and re-watch the film to pick up on the minuscule facts - but you don't mind because the entire film is a joy ride from start to finish, filled with intrigue, murder, deception, and a hefty amount of humor thrown in.
The cast of suspects and victims are exceptional once again, and allows more breathing room for this whodunit genre. Edward Norton's Miles Bron is an obvious nod to Elon Musk, as his personality is larger than life that could possibly harbor some nefarious purposes. Kathryn Hahn's Claire is your typical backstabbing government official who would go to great lengths to protect her secrets. Leslie Odom Jr.'s Lionel is the most underdeveloped, serving solely as Miles's lead scientist who goes against his boss's wishes and could stop at nothing to stop him. Kate Hudson's Birdie is your typical social media influencer who's brain doesn't quite work on all cylinders (she thinks sweatshops are places where you make sweatpants) and gets into trouble by posting inappropriate tweets, and Dave Bautista's Dusty is your typical Joe Rogan-type mansplainer who's more muscle than brain. Then there's Janelle Monae, who shines as the mysterious Andi Brand, the fish out of water of the group who has been damaged by everyone there, and who's presence is a constant source of unease for everyone else. She excels and takes on the Ana de Armas role here, working with Blanc while also exposing the hypocrisy going on around her.
The story is a spellbinding one, and one that requires you to go back afterward to pick up on the clues that you missed - but Blanc found right away. It also diverts your attention in a way that reverts back to itself, making you see the characters in a different light than before. This threatens to unravel the film if it wasn't done right, but under Rian Johnson's capable hands, much like the metaphorical Glass Onion itself, serves as a way to peel back all the different layers of storytelling to get to its exciting finish. Held up by a highly capable cast with Daniel Craig at the lead, "Glass Onion" is a welcome addition to the "Knives Out" franchise.
The Score: A+
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