About the film (courtesy of Netflix):
Benoit Blanc returns to peel back the layers in a new Rian Johnson whodunit. This fresh adventure finds the intrepid detective at a lavish private estate on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many puzzles. Blanc soon meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron for their yearly reunion. Among those on the guest list are Miles’ former business partner Andi Brand, current Connecticut governor Claire Debella, cutting-edge scientist Lionel Toussaint, fashion designer and former model Birdie Jay and her conscientious assistant Peg, and influencer Duke Cody and his sidekick girlfriend Whiskey. As in all the best murder mysteries, each character harbors their own secrets, lies and motivations. When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect.
Daniel Craig has enjoyed a prosperous period of acting over a 15 year span where he played, arguably, one of the most famous and recognizable characters around the world, one James Bond. While not everyone accepted the style of this new 007, especially early on, Craig eventually made this character into one that worked for him. Towards the latter end of donning the signature black tuxedo for the last time, a new franchise adventure began to blossom. Knives Out (2019), an original work directed and written by Rian Johnson, captured audiences by surprise with its weighty A-list casting (including Craig, obviously) and a plot that would give audiences a lot to chew on while trying to work out “whodunit” before the official reveal.
Pleasantly, Rian Johnson is continuing to give audiences more of what they crave with a second helping of detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) just in time Thanksgiving supper. A new game’s afoot in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery with even more layers than the first one. If a formula works, it’s hard to deviate from what got you here. That said, resting on one’s laurels and offering carbon copy of what viewers experienced the last time around, is a good way to pretty much guarantee disappointment and lessening chances dramatically for an invitation back to the table. This sequel falls somewhere in the middle.
Starting with its cast, Glass Onion brings in Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, with Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. On paper, this group of actors isn’t as awe-inspiring as the first one in terms of star power, but it’s definitely a serviceable group that can get the job done. The thing is, can and will are two different things and potential is where this one is stuck.
Daniel Craig has grown more comfortably into this role the second time around. Rather than being just a complimentary piece to the puzzle, he is the absolute center piece. His over-the-top performance helps provide energy to scenes that would, otherwise, be bogged down by mundane occurrences with often lackluster efforts or, even worse, over-acting.
Edward Norton is good at times, as are Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista and Janelle Monáe. The others are “just okay” outside of a moment here or there. This one is truly all about Daniel Craig. I don’t know if he’s always been this loose-y goose-y or if he’s just going for it more so at this stage of his career. Either way, it’s a nice and refreshing look for him. Not related to this movie, but this vodka advertisement by Craig is exactly the type of zaniness that I’d like to continue to see from him going forward.
Glass Onion is a bit long at 139 minutes, but more than not, some form of entertainment is provided to help usher things along. The sophomore entry does not evoke the same kinds of feels or fun as the first one, but it’s definitely not a snoozer. There is definitely entertainment value attached to watching this film, it just may not be as much as you’d hope for.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery begins streaming on Netflix December 23rd, but with a one-week-only theatrical sneak preview this Thanksgiving, you can see it starting November 23rd.
