For anyone bitterly disappointed with Kenneth Branagh’s big-screen take on Agatha Christie’s beloved Poirot books – if you’ve seen Death On The Nile, you’ll know what I mean – Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films are becoming the genre’s cinematic saviour. The second in what looks to be an anthology of exploits for Daniel Craig’s gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery drops the character among a new cast of overprivileged possible murderers, played by another stellar cast, and delivers another satisfyingly twisty plot complemented by another scathingly satirical takedown of the wealthy elite. In short, if you liked Knives Out, there’s no reason not to love Glass Onion.
While the Knives Out had a cosy, autumnal feel, Glass Onion is a summer blockbuster – so a little mismatched for this time of year. Nevertheless, when the film begins with tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) inviting a group of old friends to a murder mystery party on his private island, it’s easy to settle in for the ride. The murder? His own. Of course, this leaves the audience primed to anticipate some real murder. The question is, will it be Miles, and why? Luckily, the world’s greatest detective also turns up unexpectedly to find out…
Investigators-turned-suspects include leisurewear mogul and politically incorrect party girl Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), Birdie’s terminally weary assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), men’s rights activist and Twitch personality Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and his fame-hungry girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), workaholic politician Clare Debella (Kathryn Hahn), ambitious scientist Lionel Toussant (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Miles’ slighted ex, the icy Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe). Like the first film, Johnson’s caricatures are specific and strike a fine balance between broadly comedic (a gun holster in Cody’s speedo; Birdie’s misunderstanding of what a sweatshop is) and humanly vulnerable.
Superficially, they’re all people whose closets are rattling with skeletons, but the punchy dialogue and spirited performances allow you to laugh with and at them – Hudson probably taking the lion’s share in a role she wears like a second skin. The other scene-stealer is Monáe, who is given the most to do out of everyone and captivates every second they’re on-screen, from steely side eye to slapstick hot sauce comedy. Jenny Egan’s whimsical costuming also deserves high praise once again, while the design of Miles’ holiday home, the Glass Onion itself, is perfectly hideous: a kitschy distillation of money’s inability to buy good taste.
Among all the fun – and Glass Onion is nothing but consistent fun – there’s just enough room for Johnson to dig the knife in and carve some of the stuffing out of society’s most privileged. This was a core theme in the last Knives Out, but here, on the background of yet more financial turmoil in the UK and those with the least standing to have even less, the climax is particularly gratifying and powerful; the twist cleverly deconstructive of misplaced victimisation. And, at the centre of it all, another working-class woman of colour.
The best way to allow anyone to enjoy a Knives Out instalment is by saying as little about the story and characters as possible, but I doubt that even knowing where things are going would lessen the experience much. Destined for Netflix streaming, Glass Onion: A Glass Onion Mystery is so raucously entertaining it should prove as rewatchable as its predecessor.
Dir. Rian Johnson (12A, 139 mins)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will have a one-week theatrical release from Wed 23 Nov before streaming on Netflix from Fri 23 Dec.
words HANNAH COLLINS