Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is probably one of the handful of comedy sequels that actually works. Though, it helps that it’s more than just a comedy, it’s a whodunnit, a classic framework that allows for numerous stories with new characters, and hopefully kept fresh over the course of its franchising, if it ever goes beyond the trilogy that writer/director, Rian Johnson, landed with a staggering Netflix deal. And when it comes to Johnson as a storyteller, his ability to deconstruct and reconstruct genre is a skill that had led to a fascinating and compelling career to witness, and I’m happy that his latest does not disappoint.
Taking place after the events of the previous film, and during the current pandemic, the film follows Southern sleuth, Benoit Blanc, who gets an invitation in the mail from tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). He is holding a get-together for some old friends. He is brought to an island that Miles owns, and meets his close friends – his head scientist, Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), Connecticut governor who is now running a senate campaign, Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), a supermodel turned fashion designer, Birdy Jay (Kate Hudson), Twitch streamer, Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), and Miles’ ex-business partner, Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe).
The problem makes itself known fairly quick, as Andi’s presence appears to put everyone in an awkward headspace, something is up between her and Miles. And to put the cherry on top, when Miles was arranging his get-together, which included a “murder mystery game,” he never invited Benoit Blanc to begin with. Of course, Miles doesn’t take it seriously, and allows for Benoit to stay and enjoy the festivities. Benoit tries to familiarize himself with Miles’ eclectic group friends, and some of the strange dynamics that are on display, but the fun does eventually come to a sudden end when someone is murdered.
Obviously, I won’t give away who dies because it was actually a nice surprise. It also comes quite a ways into the two hour and 19 minute affair. It’s a film that takes its time getting into the weeds of its labyrinthian plot. This is a far more ambitious film than the first, and yet, in many respects, a much sharper film as a whole. I did really enjoy the first film, it made my Top 50 list that year, but I think I would go as far as to say that I prefer this one overall, even if it lacks that certain freshness of seeing something new.
That isn’t to say there aren’t things that did not work for me, as I did have my own issues with the first as well. While a majority of the jokes do work, and are quite clever. It can get a little too cutesy for its own good, especially as it starts getting into – what I’m assuming are – “the things that annoyed Rian Johnson on Twitter this past year,” which sometimes feels like his prompt before writing these. It also doesn’t help that the commentary about questioning the genius of tech billionaires and those that enable and feed on them, while certainly as relevant as ever, is still not quite as biting as it could be.
Similar to the first film, there is a singular person who gets the villain treatment, and while their cohorts are definitely portrayed as deeply unlikable, they ultimately get a relative slap on the wrist for their complicity. And the real consequences that they do face would not be the end of the world for someone in their position in the real world. I also find it odd that for a film that has a general attitude of pity and contempt for the rich, it is littered with cameos from numerous rich and famous celebrities. I suppose they’re “the good ones.”
Thankfully, the film remains entertaining enough to keep me from lingering with these gripes for an extended period. Like I said, most of the jokes work like gangbusters, there are some stellar setups and payoffs, and on a craft level, a lot of it is just impressive to behold. There’s a good chunk of the second half that is just flashbacks and some extended periods of exposition. It’s the kind of writing that would kill the energy of most movies, and just structurally, it would feel like a big no-no, and yet, I was glued to my seat, hanging on every word, every revelation, every little turn, it’s just fantastic seeing everything unwind, and that takes real skills to pull off as smoothly as they do here.
That’s pretty much all I can really say about Glass Onion without getting into spoilers. It’s not perfect, but it’s a hoot! The ensemble is terrific all around. Hudson is a real standout, getting some of the biggest laughs out of me. Bautista was a ton of fun to watch as well. And smaller players like Jessica Henwick as Birdie’s assistant and Madelyn Cline as Duke’s girlfriend gets some moments to shine as well. Also, the Rian Johnson’s obligatory Noah Segan role is very funny. Monáe is captivating and taps into some sides of her we haven’t really seen as a performer yet. But of course, Craig continues to be a treasure as Benoit Blanc, I can never get enough of that accent.There’s a lot of joy in the filmmaking here, and the nods to stuff like Evil Under The Sun and The Last Of Sheila enrich the cinematic canvas that Johnson is painting on. Nathan Johnson’s score is lush and playful, Steve Yedlin delivers strong and comedically astute work with the cinematography, costumes and production design are all on point. Even with my issues, there’s still so much to love here. While I would like to see something different from Rian Johnson, I certainly won’t complain if he follows up with the third installment that Netflix has ordered. Bring on more Blanc.
Knives Out is now streaming on Netflix.