Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) – English Movie Review

Movie: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (English)

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista

Director: Rian Johnson

Music: Nathan Johnson

OTT Platform: Netflix

Plot Synopsis

This second installment of Knives Out (Glass Onion) places us once again in the realm of Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Because of the lockdowns imposed by Covid, the finest investigator in the world, along with the rest of us, has been relegated to playing online games in the bathtub. He along with four others (the disruptors) gets an invitation to a party that is being hosted by the enigmatic and rich tech genius Miles Bron (Edward Norton). The invitation also refers to a murder, which adds another layer of intrigue to the situation.

Performances

Daniel Craig as the great detective himself begins gradually but quickly picks up pace after he discovers that a murder has been committed. Edward Norton is the ideal choice to play the character of a brilliant but unconventional individual who also has a foolhardy side.

Onscreen, Daniel Craig and Edward Norton seem to be having more fun than they have in the last few decades, and it is a pleasure to watch them do so.

It is the role of Janelle Monae, who played Helen Brand, that drives the whole story ahead, and her performance is engaging. Among the other characters, she is the one that takes the spotlight. Dave Bautista and the other subordinates have also done an impressively good job with their contributions.

Technical Aspects

A well-written classical mystery is like chocolate. It should come as no surprise that novelists were able to achieve such popularity over such a prolonged period.

As it is modeled like Agatha Christie’s risk-of-death novels like Death on the Nile, this novelistic style pattern that filmmaker Johnson uses in his films gives more appeal to the story and the screenplay. There are not any boundaries when you have a charming detective and an interesting story to tell.

The brilliance and appeal of Glass Onion come from the team’s collective performance. These supporting actor performances, in addition to the outstanding production design and the background music, all have a role in contributing to the comedy, the mystery, and the tension of the movie

Analysis

As is the case with the majority of murder mysteries, it would be irresponsible to describe the narrative beyond the set-up, and although a significant portion of it seems like a rehash of old themes, Glass Onion is just as twisted as the previous movie.

Knives Out, the first film directed by Rian Johnson and released in 2019, introduced us to conventional detective fiction and Johnson maintains his winning run with his new release of Glass Onion, the much-anticipated sequel, which delivers on expectations for the most part.

“Glass Onion,” like its predecessor, will replay sequences, but this time with more information added after each playthrough. It is a tactic in the story that works quite well. The real trick of Glass Onion is how it asks the audience to pay close attention to the visual cues, only to give the most random details a key role in the plot.

Yes, the outcome does not live up to expectations in terms of being as persuasive or conclusive as it should be. However, the filmmaker took measures to ensure that the audience was engaged during the majority of the film.

Summary

Altogether, “Glass Onion” is a solid follow-up to “Knives Out” that manages to capitalize on that movie’s popularity.

Verdict – 7.5 /10