Rian Johnson’s newest whodunnit isn’t quite as smart as the first but is a good bit more entertaining
Daniel Craig returns and is better than ever as genius detective Benoit Blanc in the new Rian John whodunnit, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The first Knives Out made quite an impressive splash in movie theaters back in 2019, especially considering the fact that it was an original story with no superheroes or CG spectacle. This time around, Johnson has traded out box office cash for streaming revenue in a Netflix-exclusive sequel that both improves on its predecessor yet also falls short in different ways.
In the same vein as the murder mystery and detective novels that Johnson is clearly inspired by, Glass Onion is one of those sequels where you thankfully don’t need to remember or worry yourself about the events of the first film. Blanc is the sole recurring character and like his earlier counterparts Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or even Inspector Clouseau, he finds himself swept up in another self-contained plot of intrigue and treachery that only he can help solve.
Knives Out used a wealthy and privileged family for some pointed jabs at class disparities and other societal issues, giving the film a needed edge that paired nicely with its wit and sense of humor. Johnson stays on those same lines with his follow up but goes far bigger with it, moving up from that single notable family to a group of some of the very richest and most influential people on the planet. This certainly helps enlarge the scope of its “Eat the Rich” thematic ambitions, and by setting the story during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it allows for recent, specific examples (and jokes) to be made about how the one-percenters are able to simply buy themselves out of, well, pretty much anything.
As the rest of the world is sheltering in place and grieving loved ones en masse, Glass Onion follows a group of affluent friends led by billionaire tech mogul Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Bron, a sort of Mark Zuckerberg style “genius”, has invited the group to his private island so they can all partake in a weekend-long murder mystery party around his mansion, the Glass Onion. There’s Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), the head scientist of Bron’s company, Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), who runs a fashion empire along with her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), Governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), a Joe Rogan-type men’s rights activist and live-streaming king, his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), and Bron’s former business partner and the co-founder of their company, Andi Brand (Janelle Monnáe). As a perfect topper to the party, Blanc has been invited as well despite never having met any of the group before.
Glass Onion is an exceptionally entertaining watch all the way through; never has Johnson been so effortlessly sharp and funny as he is with this script. The first half that introduces the various characters and sets everything up is where he and the cast are having the most fun, and that energy can be felt right through the screen. It’s impossible not to have a blast while watching this movie, in part thanks to Johnson’s usual talent for playing with expectations and pulling the rug out from under you. In fact, it’s so much fun that it almost makes up for most of its problems, which unfortunately there are quite a few of.
As one might expect, an actual murder eventually takes place at the murder mystery party. It’s up to Blanc – through a series of surprise twists, flashbacks, and meticulously placed clues and red herrings – to solve it before things get even messier. It’s typical detective storytelling and Johnson has proved himself throughout his career to be no slouch at it, especially when it comes to bringing pieces together in an impactful way. But the problem with the murder mystery at the center of all of Glass Onion’s many layers is that – and I definitely don’t mean to imply that I’m any smarter than anyone else watching this movie – it’s just way too obvious. There’s really only one clear choice for who the killer could be throughout the whole movie, so when it’s treated as some big reveal it ends up landing with an extremely dull thud. It’s so obvious that I began to expect that was the point, only to be surprised when nothing actually came of it. “This person did it!” Right…is that all?
Maybe this could be overlooked if the ending of Glass Onion was anywhere near as cathartic as Knives Out was, but it sorely lacks in that department as well. Ana de Armas’ character Marta from the first film is a true underdog and her victory over the Thrombey family is hard-fought and symbolic in multiple ways. With Glass Onion, there’s hardly any such underdog to root for; no average, everyday character to really relate to. So despite its “Rich People Bad” messaging that it’s supposedly shooting for, at the end of it all it just feels like a wealthy person one-upping another wealthy person. It doesn’t help that the film’s fiery, convoluted climax is both cheesy and weirdly anti-climactic at the same time.
It feels strange to still recommend watching Glass Onion in spite of what I consider to be a very disappointing ending, but that goes to show how much fun I had with it nonetheless. Johnson is at the top of his game before his rare misfire of a third act almost topples it all. But what’s still standing by the end is solid enough to still get plenty of enjoyment out of. Don’t put too much faith in the actual answers to the mysteries in this film, just try to enjoy the ride because it’s undoubtedly an entertaining one.
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ is now streaming on Netflix.
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