Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Review: Rian Johnson Does It Again

No one does a movie quite like Rian Johnson. And if you think he “ruined” Star Wars with The Last Jedi because he didn’t make the movie in your head, please know that the film he made was about letting go of the past and learning that, yes, our heroes grow up and are different than they once were (and please move on. It’s been five years).

His follow up film, Knives Out, was an impeccable reinvention of the murder mystery, anchored by terrific performances from Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Christopher Plummer, and Chris Evans.

And while the sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, does not retain the same originality as the first installment, it still manages to enthrall thanks to its ultra-subversive plot that I promise not to ruin, but some details could get slightly spoiled. As such, I will put a mild spoiler warning below, just in case.

*Spoiler alert: the following review contains mild spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery subverts expectations

In this iteration of the Knives Out saga, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is desperate to get out of his house during the COVID-19 pandemic and solve a grand case. He’ll soon get his wish, as he receives a box with an invitation to Greece from billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Bron will stage his “murder” at his house, the Glass Onion, and it’s up to his guests to figure out who the killer is.

His guests are an eccentric bunch: scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), senatorial candidate Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), former supermodel Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), Twitch influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), and, last, but certainly not least, Miles’ ex-business partner Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monáe). Blanc is the odd man out, having been invited by accident, but he believes his presence at the Glass Onion is not a coincidence and Miles could be in grave danger.

You see, every one of Miles’ friends (or, as he likes to call them, the “disruptors”) have various reasons to hate and kill him. When an actual murder is committed in plain sight, it’s up to Blanc to figure out who committed the crimes and why.

I won’t reveal more specifics of the plot, and who gets killed. You’re better off discovering it on your own, as the film takes so many surprising twists and turns, and keeps adding another layer of surprise as we learn more about the case, and, to my shock, Blanc’s past. Johnson is known for throwing massive curveballs at the audience and subverting their expectations. It’s partly why the reception behind The Last Jedi was so heated — he didn’t kowtow to anyone.

And he isn’t pleasing the fans of the first Knives Out either. The murder isn’t as elaborate as the first one, and is far easier to solve once everything gets revealed. However, what’s most interesting here isn’t the case, but how Blanc solves it, and how the reveals feed into the last act. At first, I found the first act to be overly long. The movie takes a good chunk of the 139-minute runtime to set things up in motion.

However, a midpoint twist (or reveal) changes everything about the first act and makes you question the entirety of what we’ve seen. As the first act goes along, audience members immediately start to point out potential suspects for the murder. Yet you shouldn’t even be looking at those, and examine Blanc’s movements in the Glass Onion instead. It’ll tell you everything you need to know about the future.

And once the reveal kicks into gear, Glass Onion instantly becomes one of the most intricate and well-structured moviegoing experiences I’ve seen all year. If you can see it in theaters, only to hear everyone’s jaw drop every single time Johnson goes “A-ha! I got you!” at the audience, please do, because the adrenaline rush you will get with every reveal is unparalleled.

Johnson has also assembled an even better cast than in the previous film, and everyone is in top form. Kathryn Hahn and Kate Hudson are hilarious together, and Edward Norton plays Bron with a slight twitch of rage that instantly makes him a compelling victim and suspect. Blanc leaves no one out, and Craig is as incredible as ever playing the world’s greatest detective yet again. After leaving James Bond, he could play this character for decades to come and it still wouldn’t get boring.

But the real star of the film is Janelle Monáe. Everyone has been heaping praises towards their character, but to say why would mean revealing the best part of the movie, and I don’t want to purposefully spoil it in this review. I’ll just say this: if you didn’t think of Janelle Monáe as a serious actor before Glass Onion, you will now.

To say more about Johnson’s intricate second and third act would mean spoiling the best parts of the movie. So trust me when I say that if you loved Knives Out, you will adore Glass Onion. I don’t think it’s better than the first, but it’s just as good. Both of them stand on their own two feet, and are two of the best murder mystery films made in recent memory. If you can see it on the big screen, don’t miss it, as it’ll be the only time where you’ll be able to see Benoit Blanc’s latest caper the way it was meant to be seen and heard.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is now playing in theatres everywhere. The movie will release on Netflix on December 23.