‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Peels Away the Layers of Intrigue | Review

Rian Johnson is no stranger to crafting sequels that far outshine the first film in a trilogy, but this time he’s proving that he can eclipse even his own brilliant storytelling with fresh twists and a new cast of self-righteous characters worthy of despising. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a delightful return to Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) sleuthing, set amidst a timely piece of meta-commentary about the toxicity of wealth. 

With the exception of some outdated dialogue in a fast-paced world, most movies filmed and set in the 21st-century take on a sort of timeless quality, yet Johnson seems perfectly content to make his films painfully contemporary in the best ways. As a director who unwittingly ended up in the trenches of some of the most toxic and mindnumbing discourse on the internet, Johnson has found a way to harness that experience to create caricatures of the individuals who launched years-long campaigns against him. These detractors take the shape of the pathetic little incel Jacob Thrombey (Jaeden Martell) in the first Knives Out, and the gun-toting right-wing YouTuber Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) in the sequel. 

Image via Netflix

Not only does Glass Onion outdo Knives Out with its apt humor, biting wit, and unexpected reveals, but it is also a much larger film. Like the moving pieces of Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) puzzle box invite, Glass Onion’s story is constantly in motion—growing, changing, and evolving to fit the expansive scope that Johnson has crafted. Instead of the palatial, yet intimate, Thrombey estate, the sequel sends Benoit Blanc to the massive sun-soaked island playground of an ego-driven tech billionaire. Bron’s over-the-top murder mystery birthday party, sees a guest list of similarly vapid, money-grubbing, and treacherous “friends” descend upon the island, and each one of them has a motive for turning the murder mystery party into a real-life murder investigation. 

Like with Knives Out, Johnson centers an outsider at the heart of the mystery to root for. Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) used to be part of Bron’s friend group—a friend group that was hers before he was brought into the fold—and everyone is surprised to see her on the guest list for the over-the-top event. Monáe shines in the role, taking full advantage of the meaty storytelling that Johnson has supplied them with. Benoit and Andi are both outsiders on the island, creating an intriguing opportunity to showcase the duplicitous actions of the rest of the guests, which includes the stuck-up social-media-obsessed celeb Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her overworked personal assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), the corrupt governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and the shady scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.). Johnson knows precisely how to craft characters that feel like torn-from-the-headlines personalities, and he also knows how to craft a mystery that keeps audiences on tenterhooks until the very end. Once you think you know what’s going on within Glass Onion, he flips the scripts and undoes everything like the second act of Into the Woods. 

Image via Netflix

Johnson proves, once again, that he is the modern-day master of whodunits, and one that will be remembered alongside the likes of Agatha Christie. Glass Onion sets a high bar for what the third Knives Out will sleuth out.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is in select theaters now, before its arrival on Netflix in December.

Final Verdict: A+