Glass Onion (2022)

(Netflix Streaming, December 2022) Considering the all-out success of writer-director Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery Knives Out, expectation ran high for follow-up Glass Onion—especially since we seem to be in the middle of a rather pleasant spate of copycats. Fortunately, this second adventure starring detective Benoit Blanc clearly measures up to the example set by its predecessor. Once again, we get an ensemble cast of characters, a compelling murder mystery, some delicious screenwriting and an exceptionally engaging protagonist as played by Daniel Craig. Still, the star here is Johnson, who crafts a meticulous, funny, deceptive and satisfying script from which he’s able to do much as a director. Glass Onion fires on all cylinders and keeps things absorbing from beginning to end, going crazy with foreshadowing, connecting strands, ingenious double-backs (a lot of essential information doesn’t get communicated until the third quarter) and a conclusion that brings it all together. The welcome billionaire criticism seems oddly prescient, but is hardly the only element of the film that seems to fit all too well with the news as of December 2022. (Accordingly, Glass Onion got its share of the popular zeitgeist upon release… but I’m sure it’s going to age fairly well.)  Confident execution backs up the witty conception of the film, with a bunch of great actors making up the cast. It’s hard to pick favourites, but Edward Norton is in fine form as a billionaire who doesn’t deserve the respect of wealth, and Janelle Monaé is also quite good in a surprising role. Others such as Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista also make a good impression by playing what are often bad characters. It’s all zippy, densely detailed, self-aware (“Have you seen this?” it asks at one point, and then, “Are you sure?”) and a constant breeze to watch even at 139 minutes. Glass Onion quickly shot up my list of favourite 2022 films, and I am very much looking forward to a follow-up, because it seems to be doing everything well. If it further brings back the murder mystery genre, then that’s a bonus!