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Posted by Kimberly Pierce | Nov 21, 2022 | Movies, Reviews, Stuff We Like | 0
A classic mystery is like candy. It’s no wonder authors like Agatha Christie were able to enjoy such success for so long. With a charismatic detective and a captivating story, there really aren’t limits. With his 2019 film Knives Out, Rian Johnson showed us classic detective fiction that didn’t feel like a relic of the early 20th century. With his hotly anticipated sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, will Johnson continue his hot streak? Or will this be yet another unneeded sequel?
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery drops us back in Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) world. Thanks to Covid lockdowns, the greatest detective in the world has (like the rest of us) been reduced to playing games in the bathtub. Everything changes though with an invite to a party thrown by mysterious, billionaire tech genius Miles Bron (Edward Norton). To make matters even more mysterious, the invite promises a murder. Well, kids, that’s just the start of it. No spoilers, of course.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Kate Hudson as Birdie, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel, Kathryn Hahn as Claire, Edward Norton as Myles, Jessica Henwick as Peg, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey and Dave Bautista as Duke. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
The cast is absolutely packed with talent. Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr and Jessica Henwick co-star in the movie. Rian Johnson directs the film from his own script.
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Knives Out pulled us into Benoit Blanc’s world three years ago and Rian Johnson snaps back to form this time out to do the impossible. He creates a sequel that is not only as good, but I would actually argue even better than its predecessor.
Johnson returns to this world with stacked talent behind him and everyone is having a blast. Everyone, without exception, is a joy in their respective roles. There are no weak links in the chain. It feels necessary to call out both Daniel Craig and Edward Norton. It’s a delight to see both men having the most fun than they’ve had in decades on screen.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Edward Norton as Miles, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, and Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
At the same time, Bautista commits fully to Duke Cody, a colorful TikTok and YouTube personality with “men’s rights” tendencies. Bautista of course never has a problem throwing himself into a role.
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However, he’s having a blast playing into his character’s sheer absurdity. Whether it is Duke carrying a gun in his Speedo or flexing his pecs with each stride during a run around the grounds. A good deal of the laughs fall on his formidable shoulders and Bautista is having such fun with the challenge.
As mentioned though, there are no weak performances here. Each cast member is given their time to shine. Janelle Monáe does what she does best and singlehandedly reminds us how fierce and fabulous she is each and every time she takes to the screen. This is Janelle Monáe’s world and we’re all just living in it.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Jessica Henwick as Peg, Kate Hudson as Birdie, and Janelle Monáe as Andi. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
Meanwhile, Rian Johnson steps behind the camera to remind us how much of a delight he is as well. He shapes the movie into a perfect follow-up and crafts this Benoit Blanc story into the perfect contemporary equivalent of a Hercule Poirot novel.
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Johnson’s love for (and knowledge of) classic mystery leaps off the screen. He continues to be one of the smartest filmmakers of his generation, especially as it relates to film history. He brings a true reverence for the works to come before.
Johnson wears his love of genre on his sleeve and this critic wouldn’t have it any other way. Classic film fans have already undoubtedly picked out his callback to the iconic 1973 all-star mystery The Last of Sheila. While watching the film though, I also feel like I caught references to the 1985 classic Clue and the 1976 deep-cut gem Murder by Death (to name a few)!
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022) Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. Cr: Courtesy NETFLIX
The writer-director is firing on all cylinders with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The direction, of course, looks like a million bucks. It has to. Much of the movie is set in Bron’s luxurious Greek estate (The Glass Onion). This man doesn’t live life on a small scale.
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The interplay between Johnson as writer/director and his talented cast is at the heart of the movie’s success. While Benoit Blanc is the closest thing the film has to a lead, Glass Onion’s strength and charisma rely on the ensemble. The humor, the mystery, and the suspense are all tied in with these supporting performances. If any of these fall flat, so goes the movie. However, there’s more fun, more color and more eccentricity here than even in the first film. I laughed harder and had a heck of a lot more fun.
Finally, short of giving any spoilers, Johnson once again proves himself to be a whipsmart writer. The film presents an incredibly fun twist due to various fascinating storytelling choices (which I frustratingly want to avoid due to spoilers.) The movie kept me on my toes straight through. I had multiple theories throughout and I ended up being wrong each and every time.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Kathryn Hahn as Claire, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Edward Norton as Miles, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel, and Kate Hudson as Birdie. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
As the ending credits rolled, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery establishes itself as one of my favorite theatrical experiences of 2022. Rian Johnson once again reminds us that he’s one of Hollywood’s most creative and most talented filmmakers working today and it was a joy seeing his creativity firing on all cylinders. His work blends beautifully with an incredibly talented cast and with that, this emerges as a sequel that is as good… if not better… than the original.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery opens in select movie theaters for a short run beginning November 23. Never fear, though, the movie will drop on Netflix in time for Christmas on December 23.
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A film nerd from my earliest years watching Abbott and Costello, that eventually translated to a Master’s Degree in Film History. I spend my time working on my fiction projects in all their forms, as well as covering film and television.
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Movie Review: GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY – Geek Girl Authority
