Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Writer-Director: Rian Johnson. 2022.

One mystery that has yet to be solved is the question of how Rian Johnson writes his screenplays. Not “how” in the sense of how is he capable of doing it, as the guy clearly possesses immense talent. But “how” in the sense of his chronological process. Does he start with a linear outline of events and then decide how to jumble those events on screen? Or does he write more in the vein of how those who watch his movies experience the events, starting with fragments of information seen from a certain perspective, and then introducing new details that require us to revisit, from an entirely new vantage point, scenes we have already seen? Whatever his process may be, Rian Johnson sure knows how to unspool a delectable movie mystery.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a sequel of sorts to Knives Out, the brilliant smash hit from 2019 that introduced us to Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), an eccentric Southern charmer who has never met a murder mystery that he could not solve. Glass Onion departs from the conniving world of the Harlan Thrombey estate in Massachusetts and instead takes Blanc to the private Greek island owned by Miles Bron (Edward Norton), a narcissistic tech billionaire who has invited his closest friends to the island for a weekend murder mystery game. Well, “friends” is stretching the truth. It would be more accurate to say that the invitees are all people who are forced to indulge Miles’ whims in order to continue receiving his financial support. That includes a men’s rights YouTuber (Dave Bautista), his girlfriend/business partner (Madelyn Cline), a politician (Kathryn Hahn), a scientist (Leslie Odom Jr.), a model and fashion icon (Kate Hudson), and her assistant (Jessica Henwick). The two weekend guests who complicate this power dynamic with Miles are Detective Blanc, and Andi (Janelle Monáe), the estranged co-founder of Miles’ company. Unlike the rest of the weekend gang, Blanc and Andi are not intimidated by Miles’ game, and they realize that it might not be a game after all.

Those who have seen Knives Out know that the above plot description only scratches the surface of the journey that Rian Johnson has concocted. Watching Knives Out and Glass Onion is like watching game film. A sequence that seemed inconsequential in real time is shown on replay to be significant. Johnson rewinds the tape on several occasions, showing us something we thought we understood, and he delights in calling attention to the clues that we missed. In this respect, the viewing journey mirrors that of Detective Blanc, as he gradually pieces together the evidence. While the climaxes of Knives Out and Glass Onion are not prediction-proof, the pathway toward the climaxes is impossible to predict. There are several moments in both movies where Johnson shakes up the puzzle pieces to initially confusing effect. Part of the viewing pleasure comes in seeing the innovative ways in which Johnson reassembles the pieces.

Glass Onion is a bigger spectacle than Knives Out. While this is understandable given the need to portray and satirize the absurd wealth and ego of people like Miles Bron, it also makes the movie feel too broad at times. Some of the crazier moments in the sequel distract from the precision and nuance of Johnson’s writing. Some scenes would feel more at home in one of those movies starring The Rock and Kevin Hart. Nonetheless, the two strengths that defined Knives Out - the writing and the ensemble acting - are also present in Glass Onion. Every performer in Glass Onion shines. If I were to pick a standout aside from the franchise linchpin Daniel Craig, I would go with Monáe and Norton. As she did in Moonlight and Hidden Figures, Monáe exudes warmth and wisdom onscreen. As Andi, she possesses confidence in knowing that she can stay one step ahead of Miles. As Miles, Norton leans heavily on sleaze and arrogance. When some actors say that it’s fun to play an unlikable character, I imagine they are describing an experience like the one Norton had with Glass Onion.

The franchise-ization of Hollywood is legitimate grounds for dismay. Those who pine for more original, slice-of-life movies to be played in movie theaters justifiably wince each time they look at the showtimes at the local Regal or AMC and see nothing but big-budget franchise staples. It is possible that the arrival of Glass Onion will inflame some of those same concerns. After all, Netflix’s decision to limit the movie’s theatrical window to one week (the movie will soon be removed from theaters and will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix on December 23) does little to inspire faith in the future of the traditional moviegoing experience. But if this is indeed the way of the future, I have hope that filmmakers like Rian Johnson will continue to produce movies that resist and transcend the constraints of formula. The Knives Out franchise has asserted itself thus far as a total blast, and I’m excited to see how Johnson continues to entertain us and keep us off-balance in his next installment.