OSCARS 2023: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

When it came out in 2019, “Knives Out” was the most pleasant of surprises. A old -fashion whodunit with a twisty story structure, a nice edge of social commentary, and a phenomenal ensemble cast, it would prove to be a hit with audiences and critics. Including grabbing a Best Original Screenplay nominations at the Oscar. Shortly after the film's hit status was minted, talks began to move towards another Benoit Blanc adventure. In a shocking move, Netflix would buy the exclusive rights to two sequels to the hit film. Even if the streaming giant hoped to further line their coffers with the high profile follow-up, they did give “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” a qualifying theatrical run. This brief commitment ended up being a surprising success, suggesting – and this could be a revolutionary idea – that people love to see movies in movie theaters. Whether Netflix plans to expand more into theatrical distribution remains to be seen, though “Glass Onion” did repeat its predecessor's luck in the writing categories at the Oscars.

Billionaire Miles Bron sends his oldest group of friends elaborate mystery boxes. Genius chemist Lionel, up-and-coming politician Claire, supermodel turned fashion designer Birdie, and men-rights live streamer Duke all work together to unlock the boxes. Inside our invitations to Miles' island paradise, known as the Glass Onion, and a weekend long murder-mystery adventure. Among the invited are Andi, Miles' former business partner turned enemy following a lawsuit, and Benoit Blanc. Yet Bron didn't invite Blanc. Soon, this pretend murder-mystery turns into a real one. Duke is killed but Miles was seemingly the real target. With plenty of resentments and millions to be made, Benoit Blanc has his work cut out for him.

“Knives Out” put a nice twist on the mystery genre but revealing the details of the murder half-way through the movie. This flashback changed everything that came before, the script working back on itself and becoming a different sort of mystery. “Glass Onion” does something similar. After a pair of dead bodies drop, the film returns to its beginning. We see events play out from a different point of view, learning more details that were kept from us previously. This adds a totally different angle. “Glass Onion” doesn't lay down all its card. In fact, the film just gets more twisting and surprising at it goes on. The script keeps you guessing while also playing with all the expected structures. 

While “Glass Onion” proves delightful on a structural level, I was uncertain about other aspects of its writing at first. The characters and settings seem a little too self-consciously quirky at first. Famously buff Dave Bautista playing a vlogger who lives with his mom and carries a handgun in his speedo is bit too much of a sight gag. Upon arriving on the island, the film really doubles-down on elements like this. Milo's is so fabulously rich, his dock is carved from ice by an artist whose name sounds like “piece of shit.” A running joke about the Mona Lisa, encased in a sound activated glass frame, and dinging notifications on a phone feels like a bit much. When paired with an ostentatious set designs and costumes, not to mention the already stylized dialogue, it starts to get a bit too cute for its own good. Did we need to see Benoit Blanc playing “Among Us” in his bathtub with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? 

Yet Rian Johnson's script is smarter than it seems. Almost all of the goofy sight gags – except maybe the Phillip Glass composed bell tone that marks the hour or Noah Segan's cameo  – actually end up serving a purpose in the plot. Even the most winking of jokes, about Jared Leto's hard Kampuchea or Jeremy Renner's hot sauce, end up serving a purpose. The stylized set design, such as a prominent clown statue, come back in a big way too. And it doesn't hurt that, the more “Glass Onion” balances its mystery aspects and funny dialogue, the stronger both elements get. Such as in a hilarious sequence where Benoit totally dismantles Bron's engineered murder-mystery within minutes. 

“Knives Out's” social commentary might've been a bit heavy-handed and the sequel is no different in that regard. The suspects that fill up the island are mostly ridiculous caricatures of easily spoofed modern figures. Dave Bautista's Duke is a blustering, fame-obsessed dumb-ass whose macho ways clearly cover up some insecurities. Kate Hudson's Birdie is an absurdist take on washed-up celebs who can't stop putting their foot in their mouths, who are finally discovering that their privilege can't protect them from their own ignorance. Yet no figure is more ridiculous than Edward Norton's Bron. In this regard, “Glass Onion” was actually somewhat ahead of the curve. This supposedly wasn't intended but Bron plays like a pitch-perfect takedown of our current Twitter CEO: An inventor who fancies himself a genius but actually just repackages ideas made by other people and is, in fact, a bumbling idiot. Maybe it's overdone but you can't say that it isn't factually accurate.

I went into “Glass Onion” skeptical but, ultimately, it won me over. The intricacies of its mystery, and the delightful way they are revealed, proved far too entertaining. Many of the elements that seemed excessive in the early scenes prove to be vital ingredients later on. Craig is even more amusing than ever as Blanc, while having wonderful chemistry with Janelle Monae. I liked her character so much that I kind of hope she comes back for the already announced third entry in the Benoit Blanc trilogy. Maybe Rian Johnson spends too much time on Twitter. Maybe his sense of humor is a bit too cute at times. Yet “Glass Onion” is still a great time at the movies. [7/10]