“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” Review

Benoit Blanc (Center) and a cast of entitled rich elites come to a deserted island which serves as a crime scene in “Glass Onion,” a stand alone sequel to the surprise box-office hit “Knives Out.”

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the 2019 film “Knives Out.” Not only was this one of my favorite films of 2019, a year that was a treasure trove of great cinema, it’s one of my favorite movies ever. I love what writer/director Rian Johnson added to the murder-mystery by both paying homage to the classics while also breaking the formula. When I heard that Netflix had bought the rights to sequels, I eagerly anticipated what Johnson would do to a story that seemed all wrapped up. After a week-long release in theaters (“Glass Onion” will be available on Netflix starting December 23), I feel so fortunate to have seen this film on the big screen because it’s just as good as the first. 

A stand-alone sequel to the first film, “Glass Onion” sees tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invite his closest friends, including renowned private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), to his private Greek island to have a fun weekend of normalcy in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cherry on top is that Miles has crafted a murder-mystery game for everyone to play with all sorts of twists and surprises. However, when one of the guests actually dies, Blanc must discover what’s going on while uncovering terrible truths about everyone on the island. 

The idea to make this sequel, and possible subsequent releases, stand apart from “Knives Out” made all too much sense. All the great detectives like Hercule Priort, Sherlock Holmes and Auguste Dupin all had many cases under their belts and they rarely had anything to do with each other. It’s not like “Death on the Nile” or “Death in the Clouds” had anything to do with “Murder on the Orient Express” except for having the same detective. In fact, aside from a single passing remark by Blanc, there’s no mention of the first film. 

Because of this, Johnson is starting from scratch and carrying the weight of “Knives Out’s” popularity with him every step of the way. With this, Johnson does something completely different from the first which is why I loved “Glass Onion.” 

Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc has already become a popular character because of “Knives Out” and that popularity has transferred quite well to Craig’s performance in “Glass Onion.”

As Benoit Blanc, Daniel Craig has crafted a perfectly over-the-top character that you still somehow take seriously as an intellectual badass. If you were to combine Albert Finney’s portrayal of Hercule Priort from 1974’s “Murder on the Orient Express” and Tim Curry’s Wadsworth from “Clue,” then throw in a massive cajun accent, that’s Benoit Blanc. When Blanc needs to be funny, he makes you crack up. When he’s serious, you hang on every word as he explains the crimes being committed. 

What Johnson also knows as a mystery writer is that the detective needs to be a character worth caring about but the least interesting part of the story. While I found Sam Rockwell and Saorise Ronan’s characters interesting in the film “See How They Run,” released earlier this year, I was very disinterested in the possible suspects. “Glass Onion” does not have that problem with an amazing ensemble cast that is like a lit match next to a fuse next to a powder keg next to a crate of grenades next to a whole warehouse of Indiana fireworks. 

As a tech billionaire, Miles knows some powerful people and invites them all to the island. Like the Thrombey family of the first film, many of these characters are so privileged and deluded that they’re comedically abhorrent. Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) is the governor of Connecticut and, frankly, her two-faced persona makes me glad that I’m in New York. Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) is a tech genius working for Miles as his head scientist but he also has to justify some of Miles’ more outrageous stunts. It makes looking after Elon Musk seem like an easy task. But being a genius is nothing compared to being a Twitch and YouTube streamer/men’s rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) who loves to show off his incredible physique and his guns. Kate Hudson also gives an enjoyable performance as fashion model turned designer Birdie Jay who’s gotten into a lot of hot water for her statements on Twitter. 

With a massive ensemble cast of potential murderers, “Glass Onion” has a huge amount of talent on screen.

Along with Birdie’s fed-up personal assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick) and Duke’s girlfriend/business partner (Madelyn Cline), the island is full of crazy egotists who love to cause a scene. Maybe even murder someone. All of these characters are vibrant personalities with their actors bringing so much natural charisma to the film. In particular, Kate Hudson’s deviously dimwitted Birdie was enjoyable because you had no idea what she would do next. Is everything she does an act or is she really just that dumb?

Edward Norton is also so alluring as Miles. While it’s obvious that he’s based on many famous tech billionaires, Norton captures that magnetism that draws us to them for better or worse. He strives for control, hence the island, and that control has resulted in some rifts in his friend group which means that a murder is on the horizon. 

While most of the performances are quite good, “Glass Onion” has something in common with “Knives Out.” The real standout performance is a character whose intentions aren’t always made clear. They seem like a good person and even willing to work with Blanc but is there more to them? In “Knives Out,” Ana de Armas excelled in this archetype as Marta Cabrerra while, in “Glass Onion,” Janelle Monáe wows as one of Miles’ oldest friends who was backstabbed by him a long time ago. So much of what makes Monáe’s performance depends on its secrecy so I can’t give away much. However, throughout the film, my perception of this character drastically changed and I was stuck guessing her true nature. 

When “Knives Out” was released, I saw it in theaters four or five times not just because I liked it so much. It was just to wrap my head around the story Johnson created and all its many twists and turns. “Glass Onion” makes me feel the same way because of how well Johnson has maneuvered all of the deceit, blackmail and murder into a captivating story that’s as funny as it is dramatic. The film’s comedy might be better than the first because of just how well Johnson merged all of the punchy dialogue and one-liners with some side-splitting visual gags as well as some cameos that were randomly entertaining and surprisingly heartwarming. All I can say is that my theater was bursting with laughter and applause. 

Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig were not the only ones to return for the sequel. Most of the crew returned including cinematographer Steve Yedlin, composer Nathan Johnson and editor Bob Ducasey who all create a massive environment that has a completely different feel than the first. Instead of a rustic New England manor in fall, the summertime island in the Aegean Sea is the main setting which results in some gorgeous imagery. It’s all unique but you still feel the fingerprints of everyone involved. 

While it’s difficult to determine if “Glass Onion” surpasses “Knives Out,” it’s certainly its equal. When so many sequels try to do the exact same thing, like “Hocus Pocus 2,” or something infuriatingly different, like “Halloween Ends,” with both scenarios blowing up in your face, “Glass Onion” is a sequel that changed things up but reminded me why I love “Knives Out” and murder-mysteries so much. Because you never know where they’re going to take you.