In Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) gets an unexpected invite to an island getaway and is soon privy to the private lives of the rich and famous.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson (director and writer), Steve Yedlin (cinematography), Bob Ducsay (editor)
Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista (cast)
September 10, 2022 (TIFF)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the highly anticipated sequel to the Rian Johnson mystery story from 2019. The film, which premiered at TIFF 2022, brings back Daniel Craig as ‘Southern Detective’ Benoit Blanc, alongside a brand new cast of colourful, eccentric, and plausible suspects. This film, like sequels that have come before it, is bigger, badder, and way more convoluted.
Blanc finds himself on an island, embroiled in a years-long saga among a group of friends. Headed by Mark Zuckerberg-esque Miles Bron (Edward Norton), there’s also up-and-coming state governor Claire (Kathryn Hahn), fashion icon Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), Twitch influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the mysterious Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe).
From the outset it’s obvious there are tensions simmering among the group; they’re walking on eggshells while being sickeningly friendly with one another. It’s all very curious, as Daniel Craig’s expressions will tell you.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery carries the hallmarks of a Rian Johnson creation—glorious set design, larger-than-life characters, jokes, wordplay, twists, and so many turns. The story beats and plot threads form an intricate web of intrigue and deceit, but the film, like its predecessor, never quite outgrows the sense that it’s essentially a send-up of Agatha Christie stories.
I’ll confess I grew up watching Poirot and every rendition of Miss Marple on television. Those adaptations, whether they hold up or not, define my understanding of classic murder mysteries. I know this is why Knives Out was underwhelming for me (that and having to keep my gag reflex under control). I had hoped that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would somehow transcend that flaw, but it doesn’t. In fact, the story felt derivative of two different Agatha Christie tales.
Johnson has a particular style of storytelling, which is evident in both Knives Out films and in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He creates sweeping worlds with a hint of social commentary and plenty of humour. The trouble is that the social commentary is little more than set dressing. Even in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which is a film very much aware of the current state of world, doesn’t engage with the social commentary as much as presents it to the audience as a plot point. And then every tense moment is undermined by slapstick humour, leaving the film feeling like it’s geared towards the lowest common denominator, and only them.
What does work are the gorgeous sets. The titular Glass Onion is beautiful to behold, and all the art and sculptures on display make me miss my pre-pandemic museum-hopping days. As an aside, there’s a work of art that is central to the story, and it bugged me no end that the creators try to convince the audience it’s the real thing when the canvas is the incorrect size and in the wrong frame from the actual creation.
The actors are well cast since they pretty much act exactly as expected. I was surprised by the sexualization of a couple of characters, especially Madelyn Cline, who appears to have been cast solely to be eye candy. Aren’t we beyond the ‘blonde bimbo’ stage of writing female characters?
I feel terrible for Jessica Henwick. She has an impressive resume, but the roles she’s offered are an outrage. Her character Peg comes across like a knock-off Marta (Ana de Armas’ Knives Out character) with far less screentime or significance. Give this girl proper roles, Hollywood!
What I can’t deny is that Daniel Craig is amazing. His ham-fisted performance in Knives Out detracted from the film, but he’s found his stride and gives Blanc so much personality and screen presence in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. I still found some of his dialogue delivery incomprehensible, but it was much better than the previous film. He’s so obviously enjoying this role that it makes you genuinely love watching him.
The best parts of the film are when Craig and Monáe interact. They have a few scenes together and their chemistry is the main reason I made it through to the end. Monáe is a gem; that’s all I’ll reveal about her performance in this film.
The score was less memorable, but the soundtrack verged on intrusive. I’m not sure if it was the TIFF screening acoustics, but I felt like some of the songs nearly drowned out the dialogue.
Look, I know swathes of viewers are going to love Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (there were a lot of laughs at the screening I was at), just as they loved its predecessor. But the film never evolves beyond a contemporary reimagining of Agatha Christie mysteries. It’s clever, but not smart, and the plot borders on Dan Brown-esque silliness. The film is also full of gimmicks—the name drops and cameos border on being product placements. I may be in the minority, but the film just feels like an bloated joke-fest. However, Daniel Craig and Janelle Monáe are a joy to watch, and the set design is truly spectacular. Those just aren’t enough of a reason for me to enjoy this film, let alone recommend it to anyone.
