Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery gives Daniel Craig another chance to shine
Although it’s being released in cinemas initially, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery represents a curious twist in the streaming wars. Netflix beat out rivals Apple and Amazon to win the rights to the sequels for Knives Out, the 2019 cinema release that was a surprise hit, in a reported nine figure deal. It’s a big gamble for a studio that, thus far, hasn’t launched any memorable franchises of its own (is anyone really begging for The Grey Man sequel?).
Daniel Craig is back with a wild wardrobe and wilder accent as Benoit Blanc, the world-famous detective from the first film. This time around, he’s invited to a murder mystery party on the island of a tech billionaire (Edward Norton). What starts out as a fun night of gameplay for an assortment of self-obsessed influencers turns treacherous when someone is killed for real, and everyone is a suspect.
Talking about specific moments within the plot feels self-defeating, as so much of the fun comes from piecing together the mystery yourself. However, director Rian Johnson has captured the wickedly witty spirit of his first movie, delivering a fine sequel that lives up to its predecessor. Echoing the anarchic tone of the better Pink Panther movies, the script explores familiar themes. There’s failed celebrity, personal grudges, and disdain for the Alt-Right.
Dave Bautista’s controversial influencer and Katheryn Hahn’s politician characters are particularly topical and will inspire much chatter afterwards. While the film features a crowded cast of familiar names, they all move aside for the star attraction.
As with Knives Out, Craig is brilliant: he’s clearly having a ball playing a character that is so different to his days as 007. With the validation of the first film’s success under his sails, he leans fully into the “Kentucky-fried, Foghorn Leghorn drawl” and is the highlight.
A slight consequence of this is that other characters aren’t as developed as they should, but you’ll be laughing too much to notice. Looking every penny of the millions spent on it, Glass Onion understands what audiences responded to with the first film and delivers in the same vein. While not all the loose ends tie together, Johnson and Craig have created one of the great comedy characters of recent years, and one who has more than a few cases left in him.
Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery is out in cinemas now
Read more from Morning Wire Culture