‘Glass Onion’ Proves a Worthy Successor to ‘Knives Out’
For me, 1985’s Clue is the gold standard of murder mystery comedies. It features a phenomenal cast of talented performers, riffs on a familiar genre, and executes its story with cleverness and humor. While it might not have been a hit at the time, it’s grown an enormous cult following and is one of the most quotable and rewatchable comedies around.
Rian Johnson has managed to tap into that same spirit with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a followup to 2019’s hugely acclaimed Knives Out, and delivered a hilarious whodunnit that entertains from the first frame. It’s the kind of movie we haven’t seen in a while: a comedy that relies on writing and talent to get laughs without lowest-common-denominator gags or gross-outs.
The world’s greatest detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is invited to the private island of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) for an annual murder mystery party. He’s joined by some of Miles’s closest friends, an eclectic group that doesn’t seem to have much in common with each other beyond their connection to Miles and his money.
Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) is a ditzy former model constantly courting controversy, much to the chagrin of her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick). Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) is a manosphere Twitch streamer who loves guns and his hot girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) is a brilliant scientist and Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) is the governor of Connecticut.
Everyone is surprised to see Miles’s former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe continuing to show that she’s a genuine movie star), whom Miles screwed out of billions in a Social-Network-type situation in attendance. Andi should hate Miles, so her presence on the island is a surprise to the whole gang.
Like in Clue, these colorful characters all have motives and means to do something sinister, but who is the real killer in the crowd?
Similar to Knives Out, the writing is sharp as ever and all the characters feel completely fleshed out.
The social commentary that was a highlight of the previous film is amped up even more here with pop culture references that feel timely without being cheesy. Hudson and Bautista, in particular, really nail it in this department. We all know celebrities like Birdie and Duke, but the movie never hits us over the head with its references.
The humor is also amped up this time around. While Knives Out was filled with funny moments, the mystery was the backbone of the story. In Glass Onion, the mystery is more of a vehicle for brilliant writing and expert delivery. There are far more laugh-out-loud moments and the humor keeps you hooked in every scene.
I never thought we’d get a Clue-like murder mystery comedy in today’s world of CGI explosions and quips, but Johnson delivered a fantastic, quotable film with high rewatchability and solid laughs. I can’t wait to do a double feature of Clue and Glass Onion when the latter arrives on Netflix over the holiday break.
