“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” has screened at TIFF. The reviews are very good with an 86 on Metacritic based on 7 reviews.
Many were skeptical about my assertion, a few months ago, that Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” sequel was Netflix’s #1 horse for awards season. Well, now with “Bardo,” “White Noise,” and “Blonde” having been screened, there is no doubt that Johnson’s film is top priority, as it should be.
This sequel is outrageous in its implausibility, but I didn’t care. Johnson infuses such slick style and invention to the film that it’s too infectious not to be caught up in its peeling onion narrative. The writer-director has built up a considerable filmography over the last decade or so with “Looper,” “The Last Jedi,” and “Knives Out.”
We had already been warned beforehand, by Johnson himself, to not reveal too much about this sequel. Its twists and turns should be kept hush-hush. So, let’s just do that. I will say that just like the 2019 original “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is convoluted, but why complain about the ambition Johnson has brought to his screenplay here?
All you need to know is that tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. It’s a close knit of friends who call themselves “the disrupters”, a politically incorrect bunch who have plenty of secrets to hide. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc (a hammy but playful Daniel Craig) is put on the case.
The cast is aces. Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), the governor of Connecticut. Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) a hung-ho Twitch influencer. Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) a former supermodel with no filter, and Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) a scientist who works for Miles. However, Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe), Miles’ former business partner, who lost everything during a hostile takeover, mysteriously pops up, claiming she was invited. But was she though?
Monáe Is immensely appealing here. Tackling multiple personalities and never giving away her game. Make no mistake about it, the popular singer is a bona-ride actress and her work here will likely set her up for a fruitful career in movies.
This is a mystery wrapped in deception after deception. Johnson goes back and forth in time. There’s a non-linearity to the film that keeps you guessing. In a way, this is a deconstruction of the murder-mystery genre, constantly shape-shifting into something else at every turn. It can all be too much, but your eyes are always stay glued to the screen. It’s infectiously slick. [B+]