Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Knives Out is an oddball in the murder mystery game. It indulges in genre tropes and archetypes, but also subverts our expectations with extended, unwieldy diversions. Now that the cat’s out of the bag as to just how incorrigibly playful writer-director Rian Johnson gets, you wonder how tired a follow-up can be. Thankfully, we’re not getting stale quite just yet, thanks to a deliriously fun sequel that makes you wish every mid-budget blockbuster was as meticulously crafted as this.

As Benoit Blanc and his exaggerated drawl are captivated by another perplexing mystery, you feel it mirrors how much the character has bewitched star Daniel Craig, willing to throw himself into the broadest of comedic roles. He’s aided by a glitzy cast of horrible suspects, and a script that doubles back over itself a dozen times, spinning us in different directions before a shattering climax that will have audiences grinning and cheering (or, it would if the crowd-pleasing film wasn’t relegated to Netflix). The whole affair is a self-admitted exercise in ridiculousness, wholly embraced by the game cast and flairs of slick style.

The class satire in Knives Out wasn’t exactly its sharpest asset, and as Glass Onion turns its gaze to new money tech giants, the most shocking reveal is how didactic Johnson’s social commentary can get. More than that, the film’s frequent calls to the pandemic and internet life mean it’ll likely be dated by the new year. But if Glass Onion is only of its moment, rarely has a moment ever felt this electric.