The first Knives Out is a modern classic of cinema. It’s a smart, well-put-together comedy that hits all the notes of a compelling murder mystery while making a smart, legitimate comedy. After making a deal with Netflix for two sequels the next mystery in the Knives Out franchise is out, under the name “Glass Onion“.
Rian Johnson returns to the world of Benoit Blanc while delving into the murky world of the hyper-rich and those who want them dead. Has the mystery lost its bite or is Benoit Blanc back and sharper than ever? Read on to find out. Minor spoilers are mentioned below.
PLOT
Set during the pandemic Benoit Blanc receives a mysterious puzzle box that leads him to the home of eccentric billionaire Miles Bron, who’s hosting a murder mystery weekend for his rich, influential friends. After an actual murder occurs Blanc teams up with Cassandra “Andi” Brand, the black sheep of the party, to solve the mystery. When the game turns deadly everyone will do what it takes to survive.
Benoit Blanc
Benoit Blanc is back and Daniel Craig is having the time of his life. He brings the Southern Detective back to life with a new fashionable summer wardrobe. His delivery of certain lines is golden and really helps put his character from other pop culture detectives.
He is an amazing detective however he’s also a genuinely good person at heart and never shies away from showing it. He wants the underprivileged to succeed and wants to see justice delivered to those who deserve it. He’s passionate about what he does and takes joy in it despite having to interact with some of the worst people imaginable.
He can disarm the suspects with his southern charm and get answers before they’ve remembered he’s a professional detective. It’s a pleasure to watch him work.
Rian Johnson confirmed Blanc is gay in this film. The audience gets a brief glimpse of Blanc’s husband (I’ll not spoil who plays him) and their pandemic life. It’s not really touched upon other than the small cameo. Normally revealing this information in a way is considered a ‘cop-out’ by many gay people, myself included.
Would I like to have seen it openly stated? Yes. Am I going to complain about what we got? No.
CAST AND CHARACTERS
Other than the main detective the true main character of the story is Cassandra ‘Andi’ Brand (Janelle Monae), the companion who accompanies Blanc during this investigation. She’s a screwed-over woman with a secret that could get her killed. What’s interesting is how she evolves as the story goes on. What initially starts as Blanc’s story becomes hers effortlessly. The entire second half of the film belongs to her and her alone.
Janelle is technically playing two versions of the character, the mysterious woman in the first half, then the fully revealed woman in the second half. She, like Daniel Craig, is having a great time playing this role. She easily plays both roles with ease and makes a believable, compelling character.
The cast wouldn’t be complete without the suspect’s list. Every suspect is insufferable and that’s a good thing. From the idiotic Twitter using model to the Alt-right twitch streamer the potential murders are all scumbags to some degree. Even the more ethical people in the group are still weak and easily blackmailed. What makes them so brilliant is how each character represents a different industry, Lionel is Science, Claire is politics and Duke is entertainment. All of these industries can get influenced by the rich and powerful to push their own agendas.
There are a lot of famous faces here so everyone is bringing their A-game. Edward Norton, Kathryn Hanh, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odem Jr, and more. Each one plays their role perfectly.
STORY
If you’re looking for a murder mystery that’s similar to the original you won’t find it here. Its structure is vastly different. It’s almost split into two halves rather than three acts. The first half is dedicated to setting up the situation while the second half repeats the first but from a new point of view and explains everything. This works in its favour as the audience can put the pieces together.
It’s easier to figure out the killer than in the original if you are paying close enough attention to the first killing scene. The film requires your 100% attention, even looking away for a second could cause you to miss something important. When you are watching pay close attention, even your eyes can deceive you.
Another thing that’s nice is that you don’t need to see the original Knives Out to understand this one. It’s a complete stand-alone mystery.
Benoit’s introduction during this movie was hilarious but it also foreshadowed the ending beautifully. That’s this movie’s brilliance. It can make what is seemingly an innocent joke in the beginning but then, later on, becomes an incredibly vital puzzle piece.
COMMENTARY
One thing I appreciate about both Knives Out films is how the social commentary. In other films, it would come off as preachy or very obvious but Johnson handles it with care and subtlety. Here it shows how the rich while doing horrible things to protect themselves and hurt those who are under them.
The timing of this film is extremely relevant to recent events. The character of Miles Bron is eerily similar to Elon Musk and his actions during the movie mirror the exact Musk-Twitter situation. A rich person buys something of extreme value only for it to go up in flames. It was a perfect coincidence for the initial release.
The entire film takes place in the billionaire’s house, named the Glass Onion, likely inspired by the Beetle’s song of the same name. It is both literal and metaphorical. The film is brimming with meanings and metaphors but it’s easily the most ‘in your face’. Glass Onion. Blanc explains the idea of it perfectly and ultimately it summarises the entire meaning.
At the end of the day, the message of both films remains the same. The upper class is the true evil and they are not untouchable. Good hard-working people can defeat them.
Conclusion
Overall the Glass Onion is a worthy sequel that I can’t highly recommend enough. Due to the deal with Netflix, we know that there will be at least one more film after Glass Onion. If the film can have the same level of smart comedic writing as the previous two audiences will have a new modern great trilogy to rival that of “The Cornetto Trilogy” or the “Back to the Future Trilogy”.
Rating – 10/10
