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The best bits in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” are the ones you won’t read about in this review (and hopefully won’t hear about before you see the movie). But rest assured that they are plentiful, and they’re scattered generously throughout Rian Johnson ’s uproarious if slightly inferior sequel.

The clever details, amusing name-drops, and precisely pointed digs at vapid celebrity culture keep Johnson’s movie zippy when it threatens to drag. In following up his 2019 smash hit “ Knives Out ,” the writer/director has expanded his storytelling scope in every way. Everything is bigger, flashier, and twistier. The running time is longer, as is the time frame the narrative covers. But that doesn’t necessarily make “Glass Onion” better. A wildly entertaining beginning gives way to a saggy midsection, as Johnson’s mystery doubles back on itself to reveal more details about these characters we thought we’d come to know. The result feels repetitive. The percolating tension that existed within the classy confines of the first “Knives Out” has lessened here against the sprawling, sun-dappled splendor of an over-the-top, private Greek island.

And it would just be tough for Johnson to top his original film, which was so smart and singular—hilarious, but also legitimately suspenseful. His characters felt richer (no pun intended) the first time around, and his ensemble cast had more to do across the board. “Glass Onion” offers some meaty and meaningful performances, particularly from Janelle Monáe , Kate Hudson , and Daniel Craig , once again doing his best Foghorn Leghorn impression as the intrepid detective Benoit Blanc. And several of his high-profile cameos are a giddy delight. But multitalented actors capable of daring, exciting work, such as Leslie Odom Jr. and Kathryn Hahn , frustratingly go to waste in underdeveloped supporting parts.

Still, if you can catch “Glass Onion” in its one-week theatrical run before it streams on Netflix starting December 23, it’s a film that benefits from the collective energy of an enthusiastic audience. Plus, it’ll help you avoid any spoilers that might dribble out over the next month. So: here goes!

Edward Norton plays Miles Bron, a billionaire tech bro who isn’t nearly as brilliant as he thinks. Once a year, he amasses his tight-knit clique—a disparate group of people who smugly refer to themselves as “The Disruptors”—for a lavish, weekend vacation. This time, he’s shipped them all multilayered puzzle boxes (an early indicator of the kind of elaborate production design Rick Heinrichs has in store for us) as a tease for the murder mystery he’s planned at his isolated getaway. His mansion manages to be gaudy yet chicly minimalist at once, an indication that he has no recognizable personal style of his own.

His guests include Hudson’s model-turned-influencer Birdie, who keeps getting into trouble for tweets she doesn’t realize are racist; Hahn’s married mom and no-nonsense politician Claire; Dave Bautista ’s brash men’s-rights YouTuber Duke Cody and his scantily clad girlfriend, Whiskey ( Madelyn Cline , finding surprising shading); and Odom’s beleaguered scientist, Lionel, who endures urgent faxes from Miles at all hours of the day and night. Also receiving an unexpected invitation is the jovial and fashionable Benoit Blanc, who welcomes the fun of this challenge, as he seems at sea between cases. Once again, it’s truly a joy to watch Craig get goofy.

Their reunion is all warm smiles and hugs until Monáe’s Andi Brand shows up. She was Miles’ partner in building his business empire; now, she’s on the outs with everyone. Her arrival sends an instant charge through the group and sends Blanc’s antennae buzzing. It’s a promising setup.

But as the title (taken from the Beatles song) suggests, there are layers upon layers to unpeel, yet the truth at the center is also crystal clear. As an indictment of the way extreme wealth corrupts, this whole exercise is pretty obvious, and it fits securely within a series of recent satires (“ Triangle of Sadness ,” “ The Menu ”) that aim at some easy targets, albeit with copious wit and style.

Monáe’s spectacular performance gives us something substantial to hold onto in this transactional world. The celebrity cameos are a consistent hoot, but Monáe—especially in her interactions with Craig—provides the necessary emotional heft and deeper meaning. Hudson’s performance is also more complex than we might initially expect. She combines an infectious ditziness reminiscent of her glorious mother, Goldie Hawn , with the kind of depth and vulnerability she displayed in her Oscar-nominated supporting work in “ Almost Famous .” It’s an enjoyable change of pace to see the normally likable Bautista play such an obnoxious figure. And Craig offers slightly different versions of Blanc, depending on the situation; his technical precision is impressive, as always.

Trying to outsmart this deliriously complicated plot is part of the fun, too, but it also becomes an unwieldy process in time. Still, “Glass Onion” remains dazzling to watch, from the shimmering images from Johnson’s usual cinematographer Steve Yedlin to the truly inspired costume design by Jenny Eagan . One particular outfit Norton wears in a crucial flashback scene provides one of the movie’s biggest laughs.

Ultimately, though, the giant glass onion that rests atop Miles’ mansion becomes an all-too-apt metaphor for the movie as a whole: Sparkling, but empty.

Now playing in theaters for a one-week sneak preview and available on Netflix on December 23rd.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Rated PG-13 for strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content.

139 minutes

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc

Edward Norton as Miles Bron

Janelle Monáe as Cassandra 'Andi' Brand / Helen Brand

Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella

Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay

Dave Bautista as Duke Cody

Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel Toussaint

Madelyn Cline as Whiskey

Jackie Hoffman as Ma

• Rian Johnson

Cinematographer

• Steve Yedlin
• Nathan Johnson

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review – Daniel Craig’s drawling detective is back

Benoit Blanc returns, with a cast of A-listers from Edward Norton to Janelle Monáe, in Rian Johnson’s ingenious new whodunnit romp

The first one was good … this one is better: an ingenious, headspinningly preposterous and enjoyable new whodunnit romp featuring Daniel Craig as the legendary detective from the deep south, Benoit Blanc. Writer-director Rian Johnson has established his own murder-mystery working model, positioned equidistantly between the Agatha Christie approach, in which the culprit is revealed at the very end, and the Columbo approach, in which it happens at the very beginning. Here, as in the first film, the guilty party’s identity gradually emerges in the second half – not so much a twist as an unfurling pirouette. But Johnson and his enigmatic, drawling sleuth keep us guessing.

Edward Norton is an insufferable tech bro called Miles Bron who has become a multitrillionaire through his stake in Alpha, an online network fusing data, news and cryptocurrency. He invites a whole bunch of pals and fellow “disruptors” to his private island with its giant domed building called the Glass Onion for a murder-mystery themed party: these include politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), supermodel turned designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), YouTuber and men’s rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr) and – most uncomfortably of all – Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe), who had the original idea for Alpha but was ousted from the company by Miles and his lawyers with hardly a dollar.

But also among the guests is Benoit Blanc himself. Bron says he didn’t invite Blanc, but lets him in anyway, amused by whatever prank his guests are apparently playing on him. His idea is that someone will fictionally “kill” their host and the guests have to figure out who and why. Things turn deadly serious and of course the ashen-faced guests turn to Benoit to save them. Glass Onion is never anything less than entertaining, with its succession of A-lister and A-plus-lister cameos popping up all over the place. And Johnson uncorks an absolute showstopper of a flashback a half-hour or so into the action, which then unspools back up to the present day, giving us all manner of cheeky POV-shift reveals. Craig’s outrageous leisure-themed outfits are a joy and Monáe gives a tremendously likable comic performance as the woman with more than one secret to reveal and more than one grievance to hold against Norton’s loathsome Musk-ish plutocrat. Are eccentric detectives the new superheroes?

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‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: Another Clue for You All

Daniel Craig returns as the world’s greatest detective, facing down a blue-chip cast of possible murderers in Rian Johnson’s new whodunit.

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By A.O. Scott

It starts as a game for the amusement of a tech billionaire. Miles Bron, a would-be master of the universe played with knowing exuberance by Edward Norton, invites a small group of friends to a party on his private island. The weekend’s entertainment will be a make-believe murder mystery, with Miles himself as the victim and center of attention. By the end, real homicides have been committed and the fun has become democratic, as rank-and-file ticket buyers and Netflix subscribers enjoy themselves at the expense of imaginary members of the economic, political and cultural elite.

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” revives the antic, puzzle-crazy spirit of the first “ Knives Out ,” which was also written and directed by Rian Johnson. This time the satirical stakes have been raised. Miles Bron is a riper target with more recognizable real-world analogues than the eccentric novelist played by Christopher Plummer the first time around. A lone musketeer of disruption, he spouts mantras about the glory of “breaking stuff,” and cloaks his bottomless greed and shallow narcissism in showy messianic robes. He’s not just a rich guy: He’s a visionary, a genius, an author of the amazing human future.

Miles’s friends are all bought and paid for: a model-turned-fashion mogul (Kate Hudson); an idealistic scientist (Leslie Odom Jr.); a pumped-up, over-inked men’s rights YouTube influencer (Dave Bautista); and the governor of Connecticut (Kathryn Hahn). The people named in those parentheses have a grand time sending up contemporary archetypes, and are joined in the whodunit high jinks by Madelyn Cline as Bautista’s girlfriend and by Jessica Henwick, quietly stealing scenes as Hudson’s assistant.

Two other guests show up for the murder game, though they don’t seem to be there in the same hedonistic spirit as the rest. One is Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe), known as Andi, Miles’s erstwhile business partner. She is a familiar figure in tech mythology, the genius present at the creation who is cast out by a more ambitious, unscrupulous or media-savvy co-founder. The Eduardo Saverin to Miles’s Mark Zuckerberg , you might say, or maybe the Wozniak to his Jobs .

Andi’s presence on the island is something of a surprise, as is — though not to “Knives Out” fans — the arrival of Benoit Blanc, the world’s greatest detective. Blanc is once again played by a floridly post-Bond Daniel Craig, now sporting an absurd but somehow appropriate collection of neckerchiefs and pastel shirts, and speaking in what was once described as a “Kentucky Fried Chicken Foghorn Leghorn” accent. My ear also picks up undertones of Truman Capote and a sprinkling of Adam Sandler’s “Cajun Man” character from “S.N.L.”

A descendant of Lieutenant Columbo, Hercule Poirot and Edgar Allan Poe’s genre-creating C. Auguste Dupin, Blanc is both a diviner of hidden meanings and a master of the obvious, the soul of discretion and a hogger of the spotlight. He is uncompromising in matters of taste, ethics and English usage, as well as a wet-eyed sentimentalist and a man who likes to have a good time.

In that way, he may be Johnson’s avatar. A pop-culture savant with technique to spare, Johnson approaches the classic detective story with equal measures of breeziness and rigor. The plot twists and loops, stretching logic to the breaking point while making a show of following the rules. I can’t say much about what happens in “Glass Onion” without giving away some surprises, but I can say that some of the pleasure comes from being wrong about what will happen next.

Which means that, by the end, when Blanc wraps it all up and the party disperses, you may feel a little let down. That’s in the nature of the genre, but as in “Knives Out” Johnson turns the committing and solving of crimes into a trellis to be festooned with gaudy characters. The core ensemble does what amounts to superior sketch-comedy work, rising enough above caricature to keep you interested. Monáe goes further, turning what at first seems like the least complex, most serious character into — but I’m afraid if I told you, you would have to kill me.

I also won’t give away any jokes. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed out loud in a movie theater, but I did, partly because a lot of people around me were laughing, too. (I don’t know if the effect would be the same watching the movie at home on Netflix.) “Glass Onion” is completely silly, but it’s not only silly. Explicitly set during the worst months of the Covid pandemic — the spring of 2020 — “Glass Onion” leans into recent history without succumbing to gloom, bitterness or howling rage, which is no small accomplishment. One way to interpret the title is that a glass onion may be sharp, and may have a lot of layers, but it won’t make you cry.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Rated PG-13. Murder, for laughs. Running time: 2 hours 19 minutes. In theaters.

A.O. Scott is a co-chief film critic. He joined The Times in 2000 and has written for the Book Review and The New York Times Magazine. He is also the author of “Better Living Through Criticism.” More about A.O. Scott

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Review

A bigger, bolder, funnier sequel..

This is an advanced review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, where Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery made its world premiere. It will show in limited theaters in November 2022 before streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23, 2022.

Rian Johnson is back with the series he was born to lead, and round two of the Benoit Blanc cinematic universe is bigger, twistier, more lavish, and as good – if not better – than the first go around. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery sees Johnson continuing to refine his own take on the whodunit, mixing classic tropes and aesthetics with modern commentary and self-aware, referential humor. Daniel Craig delivers what may very well be the best performance of his career thus far, digging deeper to make Benoit Blanc a compelling, complex character belonging to the great pantheon of detectives. Likewise, Glass Onion feels worthy of being compared to the great works of the genre, as it exchanges the breeziness of the original with a funnier but angrier and more complex sequel.

Agatha Christie's best whodunits tended to comment on contemporary social issues, and feature archetypes of the type of people that were prominent at the time. Johnson aims to give the same treatment to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which targets economic disparity and class warfare while making targets of the kind of over-the-top, comically absurd wealthy people with stupid amounts of power we hear about every day.

If the first film had a “social justice warrior,” a right-wing troll, and a trust fund jerk, Glass Onion finds its archetypes in the Senate candidate (Kathryn Hahn), the stupidly clueless model-turned-fashion designer who cannot stop herself from tweeting racial slurs (Kate Hudson), a men's rights activist and Twitch streamer (Dave Bautista), a scientist working at a giant tech company (Leslie Odom Jr.), and the eccentric billionaire (Edward Norton). We also have Janelle Monáe as the former business partner of the billionaire – a quiet, proud woman who had a grave injustice done against her.

Glass Onion follows this group of rich idiots in a plot inspired by the fantastic cult favorite The Last of Sheila, as they get invited to a private island for a sick murder mystery party that ends up falling into chaos when a real murder occurs. Thankfully, there is another guest at the party, Craig’s gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc, who is the only one capable of solving the case.

While the first Knives Out had some poignant commentary on immigration and class warfare, Glass Onion feels like Johnson unchained and free to truly throw hard thematic jabs. It’s preoccupied with the hold people allow money to have on their lives, how often we look the other way because it's convenient to us, and how it can drive us to betray others and ourselves, while also showing that exorbitant wealth doesn’t make you special, or even smart. At times, its themes and the script's approach to tackling them might seem a bit too populist and ripped off from Twitter, but it works, especially when Johnson turns its more poignant moments into hilarious jokes. This time around, the comedy is a bit broader, and the jokes appear more often and with more of an impact.

To drive home the point about wealth and excess, Glass Onion uses that sweet Netflix money to full effect, making the sets look grossly and disgustingly luxurious. We're talking a Banksy-designed ice bridge that rises from the water, robot butlers, a literal giant glass onion, and a whole plot involving the Mona Lisa.

Like the first film, Johnson assembled a phenomenal cast for Glass Onion. Monáe steals the show as Andi, while Hudson is a highlight of every scene she's in with her excellent comedic timing and line delivery. Then there's Blanc himself, with Craig digging deeper into the character, his poor skills at playing Among Us , and his obsession and drive. He is definitely more of a protagonist this time around, and there is a feeling of resignation in his voice as he ponders what a detective is actually capable of doing to achieve justice when the entire system is constantly kicking you down.

What's the best Rian Johnson movie?

Shot and also set during lockdown, Glass Onion finds clever ways to introduce the COVID pandemic to the story, showing which of the characters sheltered in place and which had raves at their homes, and even featuring some very welcome Among Us footage.

It is clear this is but the beginning of a long franchise, and Glass Onion proves Knives Out was no fluke. Johnson continues to show his prowess as both a writer and as a director, and as long as he keeps making Benoit Blanc mysteries, well, there is some fun to look forward to on the big (or streaming) screen.

Netflix Spotlight: September 2022

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a bigger, bolder, funnier, angrier sequel that improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor. Rian Johnson plays with an air-tight script that targets the absurdity and stupidity of the one percent while delivering a hilarious murder mystery on the most luxurious private island not owned by a Bond villain.

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review — one of the best Netflix movies ever

So nice, we've already seen it twice.

Tom's Guide Verdict

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the embodiment of the phrase "watchable." Everything from its all-star cast delivering buffoonish dialogue to its plot entertain. It doesn't talk down to its audience, either. One of Netflix's best recent Original movies, and one that everyone (maybe not Elon Musk) will love and recommend (and possibly watch again).

Excellent dialogue

Fantastic performances

Incredibly of-the-moment

Very rewatchable

Doesn't really hit the highs of the first one

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The litany of the best Netflix movies is varied, but there's been a curious case when it comes to Netflix Originals. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery looks to be the film to break this pattern, offering a lively and fun movie that will also be critically appreciated. 

Yes, Netflix movies seem to often go for just prestige and serious drama or fun and laughs. Neither is a bad thing, but I've been waiting for Netflix's films to deliver something that a wider audience can appreciate while also not feeling bad about themselves for watching it.

And so I'm happy to state that director Rian Johnson's done exactly what I (and I believe Netflix, as well) have been hoping for. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is practically the perfect Netflix movie, so much so that I've seen it twice. I'm truly impressed, and this Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review will explain why.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review — a cast that keeps you laughing

Glass Onion continues Johnson's homage to Agatha Christie's mystery novels with pitch-perfect casting that enables all the small things to be done right. And it all starts with the one holdover from Knives Out: Benoit Blanc, Daniel Craig's detective whose sleuthing skills are as strong as his southern drawl. And, yes, the novelty of James Bond voiced like a southern gentleman still has not worn off. 

Called back into action with an invite to a murder mystery party — hosted on a private island in Greece by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) — Blanc is a delight because this work is his life. And he's been a bit out of practice (with good reason). This change of pace for Blanc — he's out of practice and the odd man out — works perfectly for Craig, giving him more emoting to do. 

But Blanc is even more of an interloper this time than last, as his presence on the island doesn't quite make sense. Bron's called his friends — a group of influencers, movers and shakers who call themselves disruptors — down to this island for a party. 

The competition to be the loudest of the bunch is between Kate Hudson's Birdie and Dave Bautista's Duke, a pair of unaware goofs who are leaning on Bron for help in their careers. Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) works for Bron's company, while Claire (Kathryn Hahn) is a rising politician. Both are the brains of the guests, but each gets some fun to work with since they're stuck in frustrating situations. 

All of Bron's buddies form a sort of orchestra of silliness and stupidity, especially as Hudson delivers lines that any adult should be smart enough to know not to say, with a flatness that subtly signifies she's not in on the joke.

Then, there's Andi (Janelle Monáe), Bron's ex who is here despite being on less-than-ideal terms with the host. Monáe, thankfully, gets the most to work with out of all of the 'guests,' and is the most fun to watch. 

Filled with surprises, and excellent bits (the stuff with her consumption of alcohol is notable), Monáe's performance is my favorite in the whole cast. So much so that Glass Onion should be huge for her career. Her previous work in dramas (Hidden Figures, Moonlight) was notable, but this exposure in a comedic vehicle will make a wider audience take notice.

Then, there's Edward Norton, whose Miles Bron could have felt like a stand-in for any big tech CEO had this movie come out in any other season. Norton deftly weaves in odd mannerisms that might remind you of Zuckerberg. He wears an outfit that's straight out of the Steve Jobs look book. 

Thanks to marvelous casting, none of it feels forced or odd. It's just topical.

But I can't help but see Miles Bron as an amazing mockery of Elon Musk. And the way Norton personifies unearned confidence and a repeated lack of understanding of common concepts, I doubt I'll be the only one seeing the character that way. 

In short, Glass Onion is all about the dumb leading the dumber, and a detective trying to figure out a mystery at the center of it. And thanks to marvelous casting, none of it feels forced or odd. It's just topical.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review: Why this is the perfect Netflix movie

Look up and down the list of popular movies on Netfilx, and you'll recall that early Coldplay hit: "look at the stars, look how they shine for you." And this is the first of a couple of reasons why Glass Onion is going to be a smash for Netflix.

You've got a pair of action heroes in Daniel Craig and Dave Bautista. Then, Edward Norton whose career is dripping with prestige. Janelle Monáe is the cross-over musician-actor who courts the younger audience, Kate Hudson makes it a must for all of her rom-com fans and Kathryn Hahn is thriving so much these days the term 'Hahnassaince' came into the modern parlance. 

Then, there's the rewatchability. While Glass Onion's not exactly the novel breath of fresh air that its predecessor was, its big twist (and boy is there a big twist) will have you coming back for seconds. As mentioned above, I saw it in theaters twice, and found that I liked it more the second time.

If you don't know, Netflix is all about hours watched. While it still needs to grow its audience and retain subscribers, Netflix's major public measurement of success is time spent watching a movie or show. And, so, I can only imagine how much Netflix execs were delighted to discover Glass Onion's twist. Knowledge of it definitely enhances the second viewing, as you'll see scenes differently.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review verdict

Between a perfectly crafted plot that twists and turns in ways I refuse to spoil in this Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review and its excellent cast of all-stars playing buffoons, Rian Johnson's sequel proves that Netflix was right to invest in dual Knives Out movies (nothing is known about the third yet).

Sure, Glass Onion feels like it's missing something, and it's not hard to understand why. It's a sequel that's based on everyone around its detective sleuth. While we do learn a little more about Mr. Blanc (in delightful moments) this time, Glass Onion is all about presenting a fun whodunnit.

Johnson's new locale may be sunnier and more glamorous, but the cast is just as excellent (the original had Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Ana de Armas, to name a few). 

Filled with everything from zingers about celebrity-endorsed products to cameos you won't see coming (pay attention to the end credits), Glass Onion is a true charmer.

Much like the hard kombucha that Bron's guest imbibe throughout the film, Glass Onion goes down smooth, with subtle kicks. And I bet you'll watch it again.

<a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-to-watch-die-hard-for-christmas" data-link-merchant="tomsguide.com""> How to watch Die Hard for Christmas

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

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• kep55 I'm sure the movie is great. Too bad the actors decided to whisper or mumble their throughout the whole flick. I missed most of the dialogue even with the volume on my Sammy Crystal HD cranked up. Reply
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Reviews

Glass Onion is another fantastic whodunnit from Rian Johnson, but is it better than Knives Out? Well, that comes down to personal preference and what you seek from these films.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Mar 1, 2024

This movie, unsurprisingly, is incredibly smart, and probably a tad more subtle than its predecessor.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2024

While there are elements of the film that stand out as compelling, the mystery at the core is not one of them.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 5, 2023

There are enough twists and turns in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out follow-up to keep sharp-eyed viewers of all kinds happy, and the location is the best kind of eye candy.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2023

If you do see this film, I recommend seeing it with a large group of people as there are too many hilarious moments, pop culture analogies, and fantastic performances to enjoy it alone.

Full Review | Sep 25, 2023

This is the Aliens of the Knives Out universe, an exponential iteration of a great concept that by now knows its lead character inside out and is thinking big when it comes to finding a cerebral challenge that is worthy of him.

Full Review | Sep 21, 2023

Just like its predecessor, Johnson lashes out at everyone and points out the absurdity and stupidity of the rich and powerful by embodying the caricatures of real-life people.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2023

Overall, the movie is more playful than serious, and its dedication to slowly solving the puzzle makes it both dizzying and delightful.

Full Review | Aug 23, 2023

Glass Onion isn’t just a film — it’s a masterfully crafted game that somehow grows more fun the more you play it, allowing you to pick up on small but rich details you didn’t initially spot.

Full Review | Aug 10, 2023

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is more of a madcap film than “Knives Out,” piling on the absurdity from the opening credits. And just like the 2019 version, the cast is its biggest strength.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 9, 2023

A standard murder mystery elevated by a very talented cast.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Aug 9, 2023

If lacking in the surprise factor of Knives Out, Glass Onion is a riotous time, dialling up the laughs and mystery with cameos and surprises galore, and layers of clever dialogue and writing.

Full Review | Aug 8, 2023

So, all told, I honestly can't quite rate Glass Onion quite as high as I did Knives Out, but it's still tremendous fun with Rian Johnson once again proving just why the murder mystery genre is such an enduring – if sometimes neglected – crowd favourite.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 6, 2023

While Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc is obviously the star of Glass Onion, it's Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson that really shine.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

Is bigger and more lavish, with moments of big-budget lushness sharply delivered by director Rian Johnson... that doesn’t amount to a better project.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jul 25, 2023

Thank you Daniel Craig for leaving Bond to give us more Benoit Blanc!

Better than the first Knives Out. An incredible mystery that had me all the way up to every single reveal. Rian johnson you genius! Literally hanging on every single word/sequence.

Unlike other franchises that seemingly stick around far longer than they’re welcome, the mysteries of Benoit Blanc have the potential to delight for years to come.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2023

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a perfect sequel—it’s sharp, meticulously striking, and bold, with a mindful excavation of elitism and the lengths people go through to maintain their dominion.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Johnson replaces the insular familial privilege at the heart of Knives Out with an even more obnoxious form of privilege whose odiousness is in direct proportion to how much its characters flaunt it in the public sphere

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 27, 2023

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‘glass onion: a knives out mystery’ review: rian johnson outdoes himself with a wildly enjoyable sequel.

The follow-up to 'Knives Out' showcases an all-star ensemble including Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr.

By John DeFore

John DeFore

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Expressing one’s enthusiasm for Glass Onion , Rian Johnson ‘s sequel to Knives Out , presents a dilemma. Is it possible to declare that it’s more pleasing in most respects (and neck-and-neck in most others) without sounding dismissive of the thoroughly delightful original ? Would it help to add that, walking out of this film, rewatching the first only becomes a more attractive proposition? (And that’s for someone who just revisited Knives again last week.)

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It offers a little window or two into the private life of the celebrity detective Benoit Blanc ( Daniel Craig ) — though, in going less deep than Kenneth Branagh did with Poirot in his second Agatha Christie adaptation (which also surpassed its predecessor, by a lot), it keeps the character enough of an enigma that one hopes he’ll be revealed slowly, over many films. (After all, Craig just got free of that other big recurring obligation…) Its surprises may be more ordinary than the biggies in Knives Out , but they’re integral to the fun — and since it’s not possible to acknowledge a couple of the film’s strongest elements without spoiling them (this review won’t spoil anything), its best to say ignore any buzz and just go see the thing.

Edward Norton plays Miles Bron, a ripped-from-the-headlines tech princeling who gets credit for far more inventions than he should. Every year, he invites his little clique of pre-success buddies for a weekend of fun. This time he has planned a pretend murder mystery, in which one of the guests is supposed to have killed him.

Why invite the world’s most famous detective to such an event? Isn’t that like bringing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to your pickup basketball game? How are dummies like Kate Hudson’s former supermodel Birdie (now a lifestyle entrepreneur whose business is financed by Bron) supposed to compete? Or dummies like Dave Bautista ‘s Duke Cody, a men’s-rights YouTuber so attached to his handgun that he goes swimming with it strapped to his Speedo?

Okay, those two aren’t going to win this life-size game of Clue. Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) and Birdie’s assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick, standing out again in a smallish role) are smarter, and Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) is the kind of wild card who could be genuinely sharp under an Instagram-hottie facade.

Being unable to discuss much of the plot lets us get to know the dramatis personae here more than we otherwise might. Nearly all depend on Bron’s money in some way, but he pretends they’re still just great friends. Would it surprise anybody if one of these “shitheads” (the movie’s word, though you’ll agree) might feel like killing Bron for real?

While that potential simmers in the background, Johnson scratches the fresh scab over Brand’s betrayal. All these people used to be her closest friends, yet all lied about her in court when Bron wanted to get rid of her. What’s her angle? Is she here to make them all feel guilty, or just to show them how rich people should dress? (Costume designer Jenny Eagan creates several memorable looks, none more so than Blanc’s seersucker bathing garb.)

That’s one big way in which the Blanc films differ from most of the chamber whodunits that inspired them: Characters others might write off prove crucial to the solutions Blanc helps bring about. He doesn’t use the “arc of truth” metaphor that served him well in the first film, but it seems even more apt here, as he helps set things in motion and then watches them work as they should. It’s deeply satisfying, even before you start to appreciate the way it subverts conventions about authority figures. Even on a private refuge that police have a hard time reaching, justice can sometimes be done. In the movies, anyway.

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• Entertainment
• Glass Onion solidifies Knives Out as the next great mystery franchise

An early spoiler-free review of the sequel

By Andrew Webster , an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery establishes Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc as one of the great fictional detectives of our time — and it only took two movies to get there. That’s no easy task in a field dominated by towering figures like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Nick and Nora Charles. But his at first annoying but ultimately endearing Southern charm helps set him apart, as do the puzzle box stories he’s thrown into, which are not only satisfying mysteries on their own but also extremely funny. That was true of the original Knives Out , and the sequel (with its slightly confusing name) ratchets things up: the cast is more eclectic, the mystery is more complex, and rich assholes are richer and more asshole-y. In short, the sequel is a delight. It won’t necessarily win over new viewers, but it’s just the thing for fans of the original — and it’s exactly what Netflix needs for its blockbuster cinematic aspirations.

Glass Onion starts out a little more playful than its predecessor. A Mark Zuckerberg-esque tech billionaire named Miles (Edward Norton) has invited his closest “disruptor” friends to a weekend retreat on his private island in Greece. The group includes Duke (Dave Bautista), an MRA YouTuber and his budding influencer girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline); Connecticut Governor Claire (Kathryn Hahn); a model, fashion designer, and frequently racist tweeter who goes by Birdie J (Kate Hudson) and her more levelheaded assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick); world-famous scientist Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) who works with Miles on more outlandish projects; and Andi (Janelle Monáe), a former, spurned business partner of Miles. Oh, and then there’s Benoit, the world’s most famous detective (in the movie).

The theme of the weekend retreat? A murder mystery party where the guests have to solve the puzzle of Miles’ death.

The film is set in 2020, and at the outset, Benoit is depressingly bored. With the pandemic raging, he spends his time in the bath playing Among Us over Zoom with his celebrity friends. So when the invitation shows up, which comes in the form of an intricate puzzle box, he jumps at the chance.

It’s hard to say too much without getting into spoiler territory (and you definitely want to experience Glass Onion unspoiled, if possible), but as you can imagine, the fictional murder eventually turns into a real crime that needs to be solved. The mystery is a complex one. Despite their very different careers, everyone on the island is connected to each other in important ways, particularly when it comes to Miles and his vast fortune. And the film makes a meal of unpacking it all in delightfully satisfying ways. There are so many moments of payoff in Glass Onion that it’s hard to keep up. And even if you don’t care that much about the conclusion, the path there is a lot of fun.

This largely comes down to the cast of characters. The Thrombey family from the original film has nothing on this group of obscenely wealthy jerks — and each member of the cast is clearly having a great time inhabiting those roles. Norton, in particular, is just incredibly punchable as an out of touch tech mogul, one who drops celebrity names with reckless abandon. (On the island, everyone drinks Jared Leto’s hard kombucha and uses a small-batch hot sauce made by Jeremy Renner.) Duke is such an MRA fanatic that he swims with a pistol tucked into his speedos, creating a not-so-subtle phallic connection, while Birdie Jay’s many public blunders — like comparing herself to Harriet Tubman — are a pitch-perfect indictment of superficial celebrity culture. Everyone is so hateable that it’s very enjoyable watching them go through this whole traumatic experience.

But as great as everyone else is, the real highlights are Craig and Monáe. As much as I loved the first Knives Out , I wasn’t necessarily sold on Benoit as a character. The highlight of that film, it seemed to me at the time, was watching this wealthy family unravel as the mystery was solved. In order for Knives Out to become a franchise instead of a one-off, he had to become more interesting. And that Southern charm has steadily grown on me, through Benoit’s mixture of confidence (he knows he’s a brilliant detective, at one point stating “this crime clashed with the presence of Benoit Blanc”) and a warm kind of humbleness. His big brain doesn’t cause him to look down on folks, and he seems to hold a particular kind of contempt for the 1 percent. Who cares if he sounds like Foghorn Leghorn? It’s hard to say much about Monáe without delving into serious spoiler territory, so I’ll be vague in saying that she shows off an incredible amount of range and helps carry the second half of the film. Watching her work alongside Craig is a joy.

On paper, Glass Onion doesn’t necessarily do all that much new. Like the original and many of its cinematic predecessors , it’s a pretty classic whodunit that doesn’t step too far outside of that mold: it just happens to be a really well-crafted example at a time when there’s not a lot of competition. It even does things that seem like bad ideas, like having an overlong explanation to wrap things up. But it still works through sheer force of will: the hilarious writing and wonderful performances mean that I’m more than willing to sit through just about anything Mr. Blanc has to say. The payoffs are worth letting the film indulge itself every now and then.

Glass Onion is a particularly important film for Netflix. While the streaming service has proven itself adept at creating popular TV franchises, movies haven’t come so easily. So Netflix did the next best thing: bought a franchise. The company spent a lot of money on the sequels to Knives Out , and at least so far, it’s looking like it might have been a good investment. Time will tell if Benoit Blanc’s name does end up joining those rarified heights of Holmes and Poirot, but two movies in, he’s off to an excellent start.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery starts streaming on Netflix on December 23rd but will be in select theaters at some point before then. This review is based on a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: As Sharp as the First One, But in a Go-Big-or-Go-Home Way, and Daniel Craig Once Again Rules

Rian Johnson's whodunit sequel has a new set of suspects and even more elaborate games.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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It’s in the nature of cinema that if a hugely popular and beloved movie is grand enough, the sequel to it almost has to try to top it in a go-big-or-go-home way. For a long time, each new James Bond adventure was more lavishly scaled, baroque, and stunt-tastic than the last. “The Godfather Part II” was darker and even longer than “The Godfather,” “The Empire Strikes Back” enlarged the awesomeness of “Star Wars,” and “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” made the first “Terminator” look like a minimalist trinket.

In the opening sequence, each character is summoned by having the same hard-wood box delivered to their home, which contains a series of puzzles they’re meant to solve, each puzzle unlocking the next. That’s a metaphor for how the movie works. Even more than the first “Knives Out,” “Glass Onion” is a thriller wrapped in a deception tucked inside a riddle. It is, of course, a murder mystery with multiple suspects, but it’s one that comes with byways and flashbacks and bells and whistles, not to mention two whodunit homicides for the price of one.

The film is set shortly after the pandemic started, so the invitees are all grateful to be there. (They’re administered a throat spray by Miles’ assistant, played by Ethan Hawke, who for some reason is never seen again.) Each has attained a noteworthy position in the world by becoming some sort of “disruptor.” And they owe their success to Miles, who has bankrolled all of them. But that also gives each a motivation for murder.

Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), the governor of Connecticut, is a former soccer mom who is taking on the political machine. Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) is a gun-nut yahoo and influencer who became the first person to win a million followers on Twitch. Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) is a former supermodel who has parlayed her scandalous celebrity — she was semi-canceled for a Beyoncé Halloween costume — into overseeing a sweatpants empire. Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) is a scientist who works for Miles. And Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) is Miles’ former business partner, who lost everything during a hostile split with him but has been invited to the island to make amends, and has agreed to come because…well, why she would do so after she got screwed over so badly is the film’s first mystery.

The second one is what Benoit Blanc is doing there. He claims to have received one of the puzzle-box invitations, but Miles says he never sent it. Yet he doesn’t mind that Blanc is there. Miles, you see, has organized a murder-mystery game for the weekend, in which he is going to be “killed,” and having the world’s greatest detective on site will only make it more fun. Early on, Miles takes Blanc up to the glass onion, and as the two square off, Blanc seems a bit tentative and out of sorts. Is he in over his head? Hardly.

In an outrageous scene, Blanc solves the game that Miles is trying to play before it even takes place. That’s the film’s idea of an appetizer. “Glass Onion” expands into something even more extravagant than the first “Knives Out,” which is what you want, even if at moments it can feel like a little more than you want. It would be a crime to reveal too much, but Andi, openly suspicious in her shiny blonde bob, is the most fascinating character, and Janelle Monáe invests her with a moody indignation that singes like a hidden candle. A flashback reveals why she’s really there, and who her secret partner is.

Is “Glass Onion” a better movie than the first “Knives Out”? Not necessarily. But it’s a bigger, showier, even more elaborately multi-faceted shell-game mystery. Craig has figured out how to let his wry performance sneak up on you all over again, and the suspects hover in a tasty zone between toxic and sympathetic. Yet for a movie this chock-full of surprises, there’s something about seeing the killer revealed that feels, perhaps, a touch less gratifying than before. “Glass Onion” is the first of two “Knives Out” sequels. It thoroughly delivers, but next time the knives should cut deeper.

Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival, Sept. 10, 2022. MPA rating: PG-13. Running time: 139 MIN.

• Production: A Netflix release of a Lionsgate, T-Street production. Producers: Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman. Executive producer: Tom Karnowski.
• Crew: Director, screenplay: Rian Johnson. Camera: Steve Yedlin. Editor: Bob Ducsay. Music: Nathan Johnson.
• With: Daniel Craig, Ed Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Madelyn Cline.

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Glass onion: a knives out mystery, common sense media reviewers.

Sharp, layered mystery sequel; smoking, drinking, cursing.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Like most murder mysteries, "you can't get away wi

Benoit Blanc is very smart and has razor sharp ski

Several main characters are White, but some divers

Shooting, with blood seepage. Apparent choking. Sp

A woman wears skimpy/slinky clothes; a scene shows

Strong language throughout, including: "ass," "a--

Apple products seen and mentioned by name. Beer br

Drinking throughout: cocktails, liquor, hard kombu

Parents need to know that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is, like the original Knives Out , a comedic murder mystery centering on private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). While the first movie followed an extended family, the sequel's cast is more like a "family" of influencer friends, and…

Positive Messages

Like most murder mysteries, "you can't get away with murder" is the overarching message. Also a theme that even society's most fabulous personalities, including billionaires and supermodels, are no smarter or better than anyone else. Themes include courage, integrity, teamwork.

Positive Role Models

Benoit Blanc is very smart and has razor sharp skills when it comes to observation and deduction. Some characters demonstrate courage, integrity, and teamwork.

Diverse Representations

Several main characters are White, but some diversity in cast: a brilliant Black scientist, a Black woman CEO; an actor of East Asian descent plays a positively depicted supporting character. A Filipino Greek actor plays an obnoxious but affable central character. A Jewish actor plays a supermodel (her character shares that she experienced repercussions for using the word "Jew-y"), and Black and Jewish celebrities are featured in cameos. But one female character has almost no dimension beyond being sexy.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Shooting, with blood seepage. Apparent choking. Spear gun shot but misses target. A couple of hard slaps. One character wears a gun at all times and shoots it into the air. Characters are distressed at the idea of a killer on the loose. Fire and explosions.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A woman wears skimpy/slinky clothes; a scene shows her kissing and straddling someone on a bed while wearing a bikini. Quick glimpse of a sex toy and condoms. Statue of a nude male torso, seen from the backside.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout, including: "ass," "a--hole," "bitch," "boner," "boobs," "goddamn," "s--t," "s--tballs," "s--theads," "shut up," "taint," "t--ties," and two uses of "f--k." Middle-finger gesture. "Jesus!" used as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Apple products seen and mentioned by name. Beer brands visible. Expensive car is recognized by brand and used as a recurring punchline.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drinking throughout: cocktails, liquor, hard kombucha, beer, wine. Alcohol consumption fuels a couple of key moments in the plot. In one instance, it's shown to enhance someone's abilities. Aspirational characters smoke and vape. A comical side character drinks and appears to smoke pot.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is, like the original Knives Out , a comedic murder mystery centering on private detective Benoit Blanc ( Daniel Craig ). While the first movie followed an extended family, the sequel's cast is more like a "family" of influencer friends, and the film pokes fun at the types of people currently ruling pop culture: the billionaire genius ( Edward Norton ), the supermodel ( Kate Hudson ), the celebrity scientist ( Leslie Odom Jr. ), the politician ( Kathryn Hahn ), and a YouTuber ( Dave Bautista ). The ultimate takeaway is that the rich, famous, and powerful aren't any smarter, better, or savvier than anyone else. But these are wealthy, extravagant characters, and constant drinking is part of their glamorous aesthetic. Blanc also smokes cigars, and other characters vape and smoke pot. A supporting character known as Whiskey wears revealing clothes and is shown aggressively kissing and sitting astride a clothed man. There's also a long conversation about "boobs"; other language includes "ass," "s--t," and a couple of uses of "f--k." And, given that this is a murder mystery, expect a couple of non-graphic deaths, plus weapons use (guns, spear gun), fire, and explosions. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (23)
• Kids say (33)

Based on 23 parent reviews

Layered, Heavily Comedic Sequel

It serves up a good mystery . . . with plenty of things lacking, what's the story.

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY takes place in the summer of 2020. Private detective Benoit Blanc ( Daniel Craig ) is pulled out of his pandemic depression when a puzzle box arrives at his door with an invitation to attend a murder mystery party. Once he gets to the private island of visionary billionaire Miles Bron ( Edward Norton ), who's also invited several famous celebrity guests, Blanc realizes that the murder mystery game has set the stage for an actual murder to occur.

Is It Any Good?

Writer-director Rian Johnson slices and dices social influencers with sharp humor here, leaving viewers wiping away tears of laughter. This satirical whodunit peels back the layers of modern-day movers and shakers to reveal that, when you get to the core of an arrogant genius, a fabulous fashionista, or a blowhard YouTuber, there's often nothing there. For adults, it's a wink. Teens might need a little help to understand the brilliance of Glass Onion 's title, but even if they don't put it all together, the comedy pierces celebrity/privileged culture in plenty of other, more obvious ways. In other words, it's hard to imagine that anyone over the age of 13 or 14 won't enjoy Johnson's Benoit Blanc sequel.

Is it better than Knives Out ? Well, no, because with that excellent film, Johnson reinvigorated the entire murder mystery genre. It felt so refreshingly new in 2019, and in the three years since its release, others have tried their hand at the whodunit with some pretty impressive productions -- meaning the bar is even higher now. But still, Glass Onion rolls as one continuous slick burn. And if there's one thing we know about onions, it's that when they're raw, they bite, but the longer they cook, the sweeter they become.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Benoit Blanc compares to Agatha Christie detectives like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Why do you think fictional detectives are often given eccentricities or quirks?

Do you think that Glass Onion glamorizes drinking and smoking ? Why, or why not?

Discuss the meaning of the title and how it's layered throughout the film.

What are the hallmarks of a murder mystery? How does this one compare to others you've seen?

How do characters demonstrate courage , integrity , and teamwork ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 18, 2022
• On DVD or streaming : December 23, 2022
• Cast : Daniel Craig , Janelle Monáe , Edward Norton
• Director : Rian Johnson
• Inclusion Information : Non-Binary actors, Pansexual actors, Queer actors, Black actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Thriller
• Topics : Friendship
• Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Teamwork
• Run time : 139 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : March 14, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review – Craig’s Blanc is deliriously entertaining

We review the Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which does not contain spoilers.

Director Rian Johnson ‘s spin-off/sequel to his highly entertaining 2019 mystery Knives Out is precisely what studio escapism should be. You have a big named cast with a deep bench. A script that’s whip-smart and marvelously constructed, which happens to be very funny and highly entertaining. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is as close an equivalent of a great mystery novel as an original movie can get.

The story now follows Daniel Craig ‘s Benoit Blanc . Hercule Poirot type who has been in quite a rut of late. Primarily because of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. He’s depressed, spends long hours in bubble baths, and practically becomes apoplectic. The mindful and heedful private detective, like Matlock , Perry Mason , or any film or television of Sherlock Holmes , isn’t happy unless he’s trying to solve a complex murder. Then, like a beacon, he’s sent a life raft in the form of a giant puzzle in a beautifully gift-wrapped box. If you can solve the puzzle, you are invited to a tech magnet’s home – a Willy Wonka without the candy or the staff.

That man is Miles Bron (a hilarious Edward Norton , reveling in the role here), a multi-billionaire, a clear nod to Elon Musk -archetype, who has invited six of his old friends for a weekend getaway. Why? Well, for a good old-fashioned murder mystery party. And one that will become quite literal. One of them is You have a supermodel/fashion designer/cosmic nightmare, Birdie Jay ( Kate Hudson ), and her assistant, Peg ( Game of Thrones’ Jessica Henwick ) , who is on-call 24/7 to prevent her boss from consistently sticking her foot in her mouth.

The rest of the group includes A political candidate, Claire DeBella ( WandaVision’s Kathryn Hahn) . She is the governor of Connecticut and is now looking to take a seat in the Senate. A research scientist, Lionel Toussaint ( One Night in Miami’s Leslie Odom Jr.) , is looking to make gigantic strides in clean energy. You even have a loveable meathead Duke (Dave Bautista),  who makes a living preaching men’s right-wing rights on Twitch. The sane one of the bunch seems to be his girlfriend Whiskey ( Outer Banks ‘ Madelyn Cline) . She starts a friendship with the final invitee Cassandra Brand ( Moonlight ‘s Janelle Monáe), wonderful here in a tricky role). A woman who had a falling out with the group seems to be the biggest mystery Craig’s Blanc should solve.

I’m not sure if there is much more to say about Johnson’s deliriously entertaining sequel to Knives Out . Beside’s Tom Cruise saving Hollywood with a full-throttle, action-packed nostalgia machine last summer with Top Gun: Maverick , Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery may be the most fun you’ll have at the movies this year. You also have a finely crafted movie-going experience with some of the finest teams of filmmakers Hollywood has to offer. Johnson’s disciple (and cousin), Nathan Johnson’s ( Brick ) exciting score that doubles as notes of musical puzzle pieces. Steve Yedlin ‘s cinematography is always curious, even playful, and eye-catching. Not to mention the team — I mean this quite literally — behind the art direction makes every location seem as unique and stand-alone as the next.

There isn’t a single flawed turn in the entire film (and we haven’t even talked about Ethan Hawke ‘s clever cameo). Craig has firmly established Blanc as a character franchise builder. Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery is the perfect blend of writing, direction, and production while not forgetting the cardinal rules of a great mystery. Establish good character, an intriguing setting and plot, and a satisfying conclusion that allows the audience a chance to solve the riddle themselves. With Knives Out easter eggs galore, you have an exciting time at the movies with this one.

And many more installments for years to come.

What did you think of the Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery? Comment below.

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Article by Marc Miller

Marc Miller (also known as M.N. Miller) joined Ready Steady Cut in April 2018 as a Film and TV Critic, publishing over 1,600 articles on the website. Since a young age, Marc dreamed of becoming a legitimate critic and having that famous “Rotten Tomato” approved status – in 2023, he achieved that status.

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a sharp but puzzling sequel

The standalone sequel is a sunkissed repackaging of Rian Johnson’s 2019 Knives Out.

Rian Johnson ’s delectable 2019 whodunnit Knives Out wasn’t the last memorable movie before COVID-19 changed everything. But it was maybe the last time we had fun.

A modern take on Agatha Christie mysteries, Knives Out had all the makings of an instant classic. Propped up by a cozy autumnal aesthetic that inspired deep Pinterest envy — especially Chris Evans, whose distressed fisherman sweater became a menswear must-have — the film made a full-calorie meal of its A-list cast, zesty writing, and affectionate filmmaking by a director so clearly enamored with Christie’s works. And its satire of a family of vultures pecking over a fat inheritance made its Thanksgiving release window an especially clever masterstroke.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , out in theaters November 23 and Netflix on December 23, is an electric standalone sequel by writer/director Rian Johnson with nearly all of the same bugs and features of his predecessor, albeit with new flavoring. Gone are the auburn hues and coffee-in-the-rain aromas of New England in fall, in are the blue skies and sunkissed hard bodies of a Greek isle getaway. Also gone is the dysfunctional family stuck on the financial teat of a wealthy patriarch. Instead, there’s dysfunctional friends caught in the imbalanced power scales of a sociopathic tech billionaire, played by Edward Norton.

While essentially a repackaged Knives Out , Glass Onion — a title alluding to false complexities that one can still “see through” — stands on its own feet thanks to riotous performances, gorgeous production design (captured beautifully by Johnson collaborator Steve Yedlin), soon-to-be-memorable motifs and zingers, and its own enthralling mystery replete with juicy drama. It’s stylish and hilarious enough to overpower its weakest elements, namely a roundabout plot that is almost dizzying. Still, there’s undeniable joy to be had in bearing witness to shallow, cutthroat creatures stuck in a Mexican standoff of finger-pointing and name-calling.

Set in the early days of the pandemic in 2020, Glass Onion’ s wealthy giant is Miles Bron (Norton), an eccentric Elon Musk-like figure living on his own private Mediterranean island. Seeking to spice up quarantine, Miles invites his inner circle for a weekend murder mystery. Guests include a scientist employee (Leslie Odom Jr.); his ex-business partner (Janelle Monáe); a Connecticut governor (Kathryn Hahn); a supermodel turned designer (Kate Hudson) and her flummoxed assistant (Jessica Henwick); and an alpha fitness influencer (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend (Madelyn Cline). But an invitation somehow ends up in the hands of Benoit Blanc, the famed gentleman detective.

Once again, an all-star cast participate in a lavish, escapist whodunnit murder mystery.

Reprising his role from Knives Out , Daniel Craig is back as the absorbing Benoit, once again sporting his ceaselessly entertaining non-rhotic Louisiana drawl and enviable wardrobe. Eschewing the effortless enigma that made Benoit feel like Bond’s American cousin, Benoit in Glass Onion has a clumsier demeanor and gee-shucks, glad-to-be-here air to him. Glass Onion is the perfect blank canvas for Craig, a dignified actor who is secretly brilliant at playing a buffoon. From his appearance in SNL to a recent vodka ad , Glass Onion is finally affording Craig space to let his crew cut hair down. But this surface texture only betrays his razor-sharp competence as an investigator, which hasn’t dulled since Knives Out .

Neither has Rian Johnson dulled as a director, even if his boldest choices don’t feel as pinpoint-sharp as they have in the past. Johnson again plays with point-of-view and biased perspectives as he did in Knives Out. The filmmaker expands his storytelling in maximalist fashion with Glass Onion, caking on layers of complexity at the cost of coherence. It’s not that Glass Onion is hard to follow per se, but keeping up can be its own distracting puzzle. Knives Out remains a fun watch because there’s enough to latch onto without the experience feeling like homework. For whatever reason, Glass Onion is compelled by bigger, and occasionally tiresome, ambitions. It’s only when Johnson finally hits the gas in the second act does Glass Onion find any real forward momentum.

While the A-list cast all deliver competently enough, it’s Daniel Craig who truly sparks the flames of Glass Onion .

The ongoing expansion of Benoit Blanc is exciting, to be sure. Finally, our modern, plugged-in, doomscrolling generation has our own Hercule Poirot: an eccentric, ultra-skilled detective who can drop into any story and setting and still unmask a universal truth. Across both Knives Out and Glass Onion , Benoit has immersed himself in cases where greed violently severs interpersonal bonds. The participants in these whodunnits come across as shallow clowns, blind to the fact that it’s only the connections we make that foster a life that’s worth living.

It’s fascinating, if woefully hollow, how Glass Onion plops into the still-fresh bleakness of Covid, a time of widespread reassessments of priorities. Glass Onion ironically doesn’t interrogate the evergreen hunt for wealth with the zeitgeist specificity of 2020 too much in its text (which, again, speaks to Johnson’s bizarrely noncommittal craftsmanship this time). But as we return within orbit of the stalwart Benoit Blanc, whom we first met just before the world became abruptly scarier, we’re only reminded of how far we’ve gone, and how little we’ve changed.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is out in theaters on November 23 and Netflix on December 23.

This article was originally published on November 16, 2022

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• DVD & Streaming

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

• Comedy , Crime , Drama , Mystery/Suspense

Content Caution

In Theaters

• November 23, 2022
• Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc; Edward Norton as Miles Bron; Janelle Monáe as Cassandra "Andi" Brand; Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella; Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel Toussaint; Jessica Henwick as Peg; Madelyn Cline as Whiskey; Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay; Dave Bautista as Duke Cody

Home Release Date

• December 23, 2022
• Rian Johnson

Distributor

Movie review.

Miles Bron is hosting a murder. His murder.

Oh, it’s not an extravagant murder—just part of a mellow, low-key weekend get-together on Miles’ private island. Sure, the murder party’s script was written by mystery author Gillian Flynn (whose services, Miles points out, don’t come cheap). It may or may not involve a gemstone the size of an average thumb. But it’s not as though Miles resurrected Agatha Christie for the party. Miles might be rich, but he can’t raise the dead. Yet.

True, the weekend’s not all about fun and gore. Miles has something very important he’d like to discuss with his guests. But that can wait: murder first, business after. Miles would just love to spend some time with his very bestest friends in the whole wide world—and let one of them pretend to kill him.

But what if his friends don’t feel like pretending?

Yes, most of Miles’ guests have been buddy-buddy with him for decades. Miles, in fact, helped them all get rich. Lionel works for Miles’ tech firm as his brilliant lieutenant. Claire became Connecticut’s governor thanks to Miles’ support. Birdie flew right into a career as a supermodel. Duke became a YouTube influencer. They all owe Miles a great deal.

Perhaps that’s part of the problem. Their bonds of friendship can feel like shackles. And maybe one of them is ready to pry free.

And then there’s Andi Brand, Miles’ old business partner, who has the biggest reason of them all to sharpen her knife. She and Miles built their Alpha tech conglomerate from silicon and elbow grease, turning it into a worldwide behemoth. But then they had a falling out, and after a messy (and very public) lawsuit, Miles cut her right out of the business. It amounted to career assassination. Death on the Trial , you might say.

Strange that Miles invited Andi to this little shindig of his, given that he burned her life to the ground. Perhaps he hoped to patch things up. More likely, he just wanted to rub it in.

But everyone was flabbergasted that Andi actually showed up.

Believe it or not, Andi wasn’t the most unexpected guest. No, that accolade must go to the one-and-only Benoit Blanc, the famed detective known for his slow drawl and quick brain, whose cream-colored suits match perfectly with his little gray cells.

Yes, he’s part of the party, too—a first-time guest in what had always been the most exclusive of get-togethers. Why was he invited? Most everyone on the island would like to know.

Perhaps even Miles himself.

Positive Elements

Knives Out, Glass Onion has more on its mind than just knitting together a fun little murder mystery, just like its predecessor. This story uses Miles as its primary foil—an illustration of greed and excess in the Internet age. Most of his ambitious guests are dependent on Miles’ support to succeed, but that support comes with strings. Each of them has been compromised and corrupted in their own ways, and most increasingly understand that. This weekend get together becomes an opportunity to search one’s soul as well as sniff out a killer.

Benoit Blanc stands as an incorruptible counterpoint to Miles and most of his guests. He seeks truth and justice and, of course, resolution to the mystery unfolding before him. But he also knows his limits: “I am not Batman,” he tells someone. He can perhaps solve the crime, but hauling in the guilty? Exacting punishment for the crime? Why, that’s in the hands of the police and judges and juries.

Spiritual Elements

Miles appears to be an aficionado of some rather untethered Eastern and New Age beliefs. He gives his guests bio-rhythm-monitor wristbands that correspond with what he considers to be their chakra colors, and his house is filled with statues and artwork that seem to have a Hindu-Buddhist leaning. One grand mosaic in Miles’ dining area seems to feature Kanye West as a Buddha-like spiritual leader.

Another odd spiritual note: While Miles’ conglomerate is called Alpha , its symbol appears to be much closer to the Greek letter omega. There’s a reference to putting someone on a cross.

Sexual Content

Duke is a “man’s rights activist” on YouTube. We see him record a segment where he discusses his affinity for breasts. (His girlfriend, Whiskey, appears on screen in a sports bra as proof.) He also may get the Glass Onion award for wearing the least amount of clothes in a scene: He cavorts in a small, suggestive speedo, and his ever-present handgun is wedged in its band, pointing down to his crotch. (He wears the holster in similar fashion when he’s wearing pants, the weaponry situated around the fly area instead of at the hip.)

Whiskey spends much of the movie in a very revealing bikini. She straddles and makes out with someone while wearing said bikini as others watch through a window. Though she’s Duke’s girlfriend, she flirts and cuddles with another man on the island, making a number of people uncomfortable. It’s clear that many people believe she’s cheating on Duke with this guy.

Birdie also wears a very revealing bikini. Both she and Whiskey bare quite a bit of skin throughout. And most of the women wear clothes that display cleavage or hug curves. Sometimes the effect is old-school sultry, sometimes new-school tawdry.

Benoit Blanc sits in a bathtub, engaging in a video chat with several folks. A party features a great number of hedonistic revelers, including some that seem to be a bit gender fluid. When Birdie meets Mr. Blanc for the first time, she says suggestively, “Hello, stranger danger.” We learn that Duke’s been marketing Viagra-like pills on his YouTube channel to teens. (The pills, we’re told, are made from rhino horns.)

Violent Content

This being a murder mystery, let’s assume at least one person dies during Glass Onion . But to avoid spoilers, we’ll be as non-specific as possible in this section.

Someone is poisoned. Someone else is shot. A car crash is narrowly avoided. A spear gun is nearly used. A crossbow bolt is shot into someone’s chest. We hear that someone was murdered before the murder party (though it was made to look like a suicide).

Explosions explode. Fires flame. Glass is broken. A car crashes. More glass is broken. A box is smashed. Guns are fired in the air. We see several speculative scenes of someone getting poisoned.

Crude or Profane Language

Two f-words and more than two-dozen s-words. We also hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “b–tard,” “d–n,” “t-tty” and “h—.” God’s name is misused nearly 30 times (four with the word “d–n”), and Jesus’ name is misused at least once. (We also hear a “jeez.”)

Drug and Alcohol Content

We learn that Miles and his friends used to hang out at a bar called The Glass Onion. We see them there in a flashback, drinking and carousing. During the weekend get-together, Miles proudly serves his guests their signature drinks. (One guest only pretends to drink, needing to have a sharp mind for the activities ahead.)

A character gets a bit soused on alcoholic kombucha. Characters drink wine and beer and other beverages. An earlier party is filled with drinking, smoking revelers. A guest room contains what appear to be either self-rolled cigarettes or marijuana blunts.

Benoit Blanc smokes cigars, and we see him puff on several. (Miles’ security system scolds him when he lights up outside: He’s told that it’s a strictly no-smoking garden.)

Other Negative Elements

One of the guests worries that she’ll get sick on the boat ride to Miles’ island. Birdie is well known for her bad-taste comments and ill-advised missives and misunderstandings on social media. We hear several allusions to racist posts she has shared (all of which were simply taken the wrong way). And she had no problem in manufacturing her line of leisurewear at a notorious sweatshop—believing that sweatshops were naturally where sweatsuits were made.

There’s nothing like a little murder to brighten up an evening.

It’s a strange thing to say—perhaps especially here at Plugged In . We don’t, as a rule, cotton to murder. But despite the blood and death baked into many a whodunit, many murder mysteries have a certain gentility. Grandmothers who faint at the sight of a paper cut might eagerly devour a corpse-filled mystery movie. Families sometimes gather together to figure out the puzzle.

For more than a century, the whodunit’s knife has been stuck in the back of popular culture. These mysteries have padded the bank accounts of everyone from Ngaio Marsh to P.D. James and made Agatha Christie the bestselling writer of all time. Long after drawing rooms themselves vanished from American homes, drawing-room-style murder mysteries endured.

And now, in an age when the answers to most questions are just a Google search away, these plot-heavy puzzlers are seeing a resurgence. Why, you might even say they’re making a killing.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the latest clue in this 21 st -century revival. Though Glass Onion is owned by Netflix, the streaming giant opted to open the movie in 600 theaters for a weeklong run—not just to qualify for any and all possible Oscars, but because Netflix expects the demand to be quite high. Why not make a little extra cash at the box office?

On some level, the film justifies the interest. Sporting another all-star cast, Glass Onion is funny and clever, reveling in every twist and turn. Inspired by Agatha Christie’s more jet-setting mysteries, this feels like a classic whodunit with a 21 st -century sensibility. And for a murder mystery—especially when compared to the surprisingly gory remake of Death on the Nile —it’s not particularly bloody.

But alas, murder is the least of the movie’s problems.

The skin and sensuality far outstrip (pardon the pun) its forebear, Knives Out, and the sexual references come at a far quicker clip than blades or bullets. Language can be quite rough for a PG-13 movie. Drinking and smoking all make their appearance, too.

Yes, it’s fun. Yes, it’s witty. But for those who enjoy good whodunits but worry about problematic content landing in their family rooms, peeling this Glass Onion just might make you cry.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Glass Onion

Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case. Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case. Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

• Rian Johnson
• Daniel Craig
• Edward Norton
• Kate Hudson
• 1.3K User reviews
• 322 Critic reviews
• 81 Metascore
• 52 wins & 133 nominations total

• Benoit Blanc

• Claire Debella

• Lionel Toussaint

• Devon Debella

• Efficient Man

• Stephen Sondheim

• Natasha Lyonne

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• Serena Williams
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia One of the paintings in Miles Bron's living room is of Edward Norton's head on Brad Pitt's body from Fight Club (1999) .
• Goofs Benoit Blanc requests that, after Duke's death, Miles call his boat and asks them to come immediately. Shortly after, Lionel comes back to tell Blanc that the boat can't come until after 6am as the Banksy dock was set to low-tide height. There is no significant tide in the Greek Mediterranean that would result in this type of problem.

Birdie Jay : Like Miles said, I'm a truth teller. Some people can't handle it.

Benoit Blanc : It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth. Don't you think?

Birdie Jay : Are you calling me dangerous?

Benoit Blanc : We'll see.

• Crazy credits SPOILER: When the end credits roll showing the actors' names with their painted visages, Janelle Monae is the only actor with two visages.
• Connections Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: This Movie was Shockingly Terrible - Best and Worst of TIFF 2022 (2022)
• Soundtracks Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 'Little' Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (as J.S. Bach) Performed by Tatiana Nikolaeva Courtesy of Mezdunarodnaya Kniga-Musica

User reviews 1.3K

• jwomnimedia
• Dec 28, 2022
• How long is Glass Onion? Powered by Alexa
• December 23, 2022 (United States)
• United States
• Official Netflix
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• Greece (Porto Heli)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $40,000,000 (estimated)
• $13,280,000
• Nov 27, 2022

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 19 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Review: Rian Johnson Outdoes Himself With A Hilarious New Benoit Blanc Whodunit [TIFF]

Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" was a wonderful breath of fresh air — an original film with a stellar cast and a funny, engrossing mystery with twists and turns. It reminded us that movies could be, ya know,  fun . Seemingly the moment the movie ended, audiences wanted more. Specifically, they wanted the return of Benoit Blanc, the gentleman sleuth with the deep-fried accent, played to perfection by Daniel Craig. Sure enough, Netflix came calling, plunking down a huge chunk of change for Johnson to make not one but two more Benoit Blanc movies. But could Johnson ever match the mystery magic he created in the first film?

The answer is a resounding yes. With "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," Johnson has brought back Blanc for an even bigger, funnier, twistier whodunnit. Not only does Johnson recapture what made the first flick so special, he actually outdoes himself. Yes, "Glass Onion" is even better than "Knives Out." The key ingredient to that success is that Johnson doesn't try to remake the first film. Yes, Benoit Blanc is once again knee-deep in a murder mystery and surrounded by a cast of suspects, but Johnson isn't interested in giving us the same old same old. Instead, he goes bigger, building a complex mystery that towers over the first film's crime.

But best of all, Johnson has ramped up the humor. "Knives Out" was plenty funny, but "Glass Onion" is loaded with huge belly-laugh moments and the types of ultra-clever jokes that will make you want to cheer. What I'm getting at here is that this Rian Johnson fellow is very good at making movies. 

A new cast of suspects

"Glass Onion" begins by introducing us to our new cast of characters/suspects. There's high-strung Senate candidate Claire (Kathryn Hahn); immensely clueless model turned fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick); Duke (Dave Bautista), a men's rights activist with a huge online following; Duke's girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline); and Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.), a scientist who works for a billion-dollar tech company. The tech company is owned by billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), who is connected to all of these characters. And then there's Andi (Janelle Monáe), Miles' former business partner who had a falling out with Miles that resulted in a nasty court case. 

All of these characters are invited to Miles' private island for a weekend getaway. This is something he does with this group of friends every year, and this year, he wants to stage a murder mystery party. And who better to invite along than Benoit Blanc? Johnson plops the film firmly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Blanc, who has been sheltering in place (remember when we did that?) has grown restless. He needs a case, and he jumps at the chance of heading to Mile's island, even if it's for a fake murder. 

You can probably guess where this is going: the fake murder turns into a real one. But who gets bumped off, and how, I shall not say. The joys of "Glass Onion" involve the plot twists and shocking-but-hilarious revelations Johnson keeps throwing at us at breakneck speed. Every scene is loaded with lightning-sharp wit coupled with a genuinely engrossing mystery. Like Blanc, we're hooked on the idea of solving this mystery. 

Daniel Craig's best performance yet

In addition to the successful humor, Johnson also creates memorable set pieces that demand to be seen on the big screen. At one point, the lights go out at Miles' massive compound, with a nearby lighthouse flashing occasional beams of light in the darkness as various characters scramble about. 

Speaking of those characters, one of the draws of "Knives Out" was the ensemble cast, with Ana de Armas being a particular standout. But while the cast of that first film was swell, some of the characters felt undercooked or underused. With "Glass Onion," Johnson remedies that by giving everyone a moment to shine. Hahn is her usual wonderful self, chewing her dialogue with gusto. Monáe is a huge standout, with a particularly tricky role. But everyone around her is also firing on all cylinders. Norton is particularly grand as the billionaire, playing the character with just the right amount of smug self-righteousness. And Hudson garners huge laughs with her dimwitted character. But make no mistake: this is Daniel Craig's movie.

It might seem odd to claim that Craig's best performance is in a "Knives Out" sequel; in fact, you might consider that hyperbole. But I stick by it. I have always enjoyed Craig's work, but I have never enjoyed him as much as I did here. Blanc is even funnier this time around, and Johnson allows Craig to engage in some brief but uproarious slapstick. Forget James Bond — this was the role Craig was born to play. I can't wait to see what case Benoit Blanc gets mixed up in next.

/Film Rating: 9 out of 10

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

2022, pg-13, 139 min. directed by rian johnson. starring daniel craig, edward norton, janelle monáe, kathryn hahn, leslie odom jr., kate hudson, dave bautista, jessica henwick, madelyn cline, noah segan, jackie hoffman., reviewed by trace sauveur , fri., nov. 25, 2022.

Rian Johnson is a big fanboy. His clever construction never undermines the genre hallmarks of his films (he loves them too much for that), but he wouldn’t be fulfilled without seeing what new areas he can push these genres into. It’s the reason he made one of the only genuinely ambitious pieces of Star Wars media post-Disney buyout, and why 2019’s Knives Out felt like it was lightly tinkering with the expectations of a whodunit mystery as much as it fully embraced those archetypes. He’s had great success in simultaneously subverting and celebrating the ostensible blueprint of any given film.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is yet another pure distillation of the Johnson formula. In the continuing escapades of world-renowned detective Benoit Blanc (a perfect, hilarious Craig), it trades in the cozy, sweater-weather, New England country house setting of its predecessor for a full-blown vacation-style destination murder mystery, set on the sunny shores of a Greek island. It’s completely stand-alone – you could tune in and not miss a beat if you skipped the first movie. If it isn’t immediately obvious, the Agatha Christie worship is on full display. Johnson’s clear reverence for the serialized detective fiction genre is striking, and his indulgence is a joyous amount of fun when it's this cleverly assembled.

The film introduces us to our potential suspects first: a disparate group of friends including floundering politician Claire (Hahn), washed-up pop star Birdie Jay (Hudson), scientist Lionel (Odom Jr.), and men’s rights Twitch streamer Duke (Bautista). Though none seem particularly prone to following lockdown regulations anyway (the film is set in 2020), all are thrilled when they receive an elaborate puzzle box from their mysterious billionaire friend Miles (Norton) that, when opened, invites them all out to his private island for a weekend of food, relaxation, and a planned murder mystery game. All are shocked when not only Blanc arrives but so does Andi (Monáe), an enigmatic piece of the puzzle who clearly does not fit with the rest of the guests. Of course, the weekend does not go as planned, and Blanc grows suspicious of the ensemble and the true reason for this get-together.

If you’ve seen the first film, you know that Johnson is an impressive architect when it comes to structuring the twisty roller coaster of red herrings and story reveals something like this requires. It meanders for a while at the start, taking about a full hour to get to the central mystery, then cleverly recontextualizes everything with an ambitious swerve in the plotting that almost entirely switches what story you thought you were watching. It’s bold and pays off; even if you think you know who’s behind it all, the crafty way information is doled out ensures you would never know how or why.

Though this franchise revels in the tropes of classic whodunits, both films are distinct contemporary products of their social, political, and social climate. Knives Out suffered some defects of the incessantly logged-on social media age, and though Glass Onion isn’t necessarily more subtle, it incorporates its commentary into the story with greater care. Norton is great to see back in a major role, and his megarich dummy techbro character feels less reminiscent of Elon Musk and more of a straight caricature, in a story reflecting the absurdity of society when it's so heavily influenced by such a bonehead.

It’s blunt but not grating, a result of Johnson’s deft touch as a filmmaker. He toes a line of getting too gratuitous, with maybe one too many celebrity cameos, but there’s an infectious quality to the worlds he builds onscreen. It’s a shame most people will see this film on Netflix when it’s primed for the communal experience of an audience, but any way for these films to be financed and released is a net positive. There’s one more confirmed outing for Blanc, but I would take as many of these as possible if they are all this much fun.

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Kimberley Jones, Oct. 26, 2013

Steve Davis, Nov. 29, 2019

Richard Whittaker, Dec. 15, 2017

March 22, 2024

Aug. 11, 2023

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , Rian Johnson , Daniel Craig , Edward Norton , Janelle Monáe , Kathryn Hahn , Leslie Odom Jr. , Kate Hudson , Dave Bautista , Jessica Henwick , Madelyn Cline , Noah Segan , Jackie Hoffman

The Best Mystery Movies on Netflix Attempt to Uncover the Unknown

Posted: April 3, 2024 | Last updated: April 3, 2024

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

If Daniel Craig played the southern detective Benoit Blanc for the rest of his career, I think most of us would be OK with that. Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Knives Out deftly navigates the mystery genre with great laughs and genuine surprises—even if you consider yourself an amateur detective.

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Missing is an exceptional thriller, thanks in part to its “screenlife” framing—which means that the movie takes place from the perspective of its character’s computer and phone screen. In the film, June—played by Storm Reid—has to use all digital means at her disposal to try to find her mother, who disappeared after going on a week-long vacation in Colombia.

Luther: The Fallen Sun

If you can’t stand any other TV detective besides Idris Elba’s unstable (but brilliant) John Luther, check out the sequel to the BBC series. The film sees Luther on the run from the Serious Crimes Unit after he’s prosecuted for the corrupt and illegal acts he committed as a police officer. Luther has to break out of prison to track down the serial killer David Robey, who is played exceptionally well by Andy Serkis.

The Nice Guys

If you’re in the mood for a zany mystery, Shane Black’s buddy comedy The Nice Guys absolutely fits the bill. It captures the spirit of the ‘70s and ‘80s action comedies that preceded it. Plus, as the writer of Lethal Weapon , Shane Black knows a thing or two about the genre. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe complement each other perfectly as a private eye and enforcer who become entangled in a Los Angeles conspiracy—which is entered around the disappearance of a young environmentalist.

Enola Holmes

As Sherlock Holmes’s younger sister, Enola, Millie Bobby Brown breathes tons of life into a well-trodden character. The mystery? On Enola’s 16th birthday, her mother vanishes. The positive reception to Enola Holmes also spurred a sequel in 2022, which was just as well-received.

This crime drama from Dune director Denis Villeneuve is about as dark as it gets, showcasing one of Hugh Jackman’s best performances on screen or stage. In Prisoners , two daughters of the Dover and Birch family go missing when the families are celebrating Thanksgiving. Eventually, Jackman’s character grows dissatisfied with the police’s investigation, and the mystery ensues.

This psychological period film stars Florence Pugh , who plays a nurse sent to investigate a “fasting girl”—who has become famous in her small Irish town for supposedly living for months without eating. Above all, this atmospheric and philosophical Netflix Original sees Pugh deliver one of the best performances of her incredibly strong career.

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in The House

In this gothic supernatural horror film, a young woman is assigned to take care of an elderly man in Massachusetts whose health is rapidly declining. However, she quickly learns that they might not be alone in the house.

Hold the Dark

Jeffrey Wright stars as a wolf expert and writer who is called to a remote Alaskan village to investigate the recent disappearances of three young children. While residents suspect that the children were taken by wolves, the expert quickly realizes that there might be more than what meets the eye.

Directed by acclaimed documentarian Liz Garbus and featuring performances from Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, and Lola Kirke among others, Lost Girls tells the true story of one activist’s pursuit to bring justice to the unsolved string of murders against sex workers on Long Island.

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