“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (2022), aka “Glass Onion” is the second in the “Knives Out” franchise with Daniel Craig playing a stir crazy, quarantined private detective Benoit Blanc (“BB”) during the COVID-19 pandemic so he jumps at accepting an invitation from the eccentric tech bro, Miles Bron (Edward Norton), on an isolated Greek island to solve a murder that has not happened yet….like Clue. Once he meets the group of Disruptors, he realizes that everyone may not be as friendly as they seem. Will the truth be exposed about Miles group? Unpopular opinion: the second film is my favorite in the franchise because of the sumptuous location, the maximum utilization of a talented, outlandish cast, the prophetic or most realistic scenario intersecting with the absurdity of our time, and Craig at his hottest. Writer and director Rian Johnson put his foot in this one.
Even though it is not the point of the franchise, “Glass Onion” peeks at BB’s off-hours, complete with virtual games and friends. Hugh Grant plays his partner, who is baking bread, presumably sourdough. Johnson captures the quotidian madness of the pandemic. Children and bump on a log husband (Dallas Roberts) surround Gov Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) as she prepares for a television interview much like a lot of working mothers who found themselves responsible for everything. Clothing designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson, who steals every scene and needs to be in more movies) and her beleaguered assistant, Peg (Jessica Henwick, “Game of Thrones” and “Iron Fist”), have a pod party the size of a gala. Manosphere podcaster Duke Cody (Dave Bautista in one of his best roles) and his younger girlfriend, Whiskey (Madelyn Cline in a more nuanced role than expected) live at home with his Ma (Jackie Hoffman in a memorable, hilarious cameo). Scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) is busy working on Miles’ latest scheme, a highly flammable new fuel called Klear, which is just gussied up hydrogen. Think Hindenburg. Then there is pushed to the margins Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) who claims that she is the brains behind Miles’ success and against the expansion of Klear. It is the only film that lets everyone get a generous amount of spotlight, and no one seems cheated. The scientist may be the most forgettable character, but the fault lies with Johnson, not Odom.
I was fortunate enough to see “Glass Onion” on the big screen on January 28, 2023, but never had the time to circle back to write the review. Rewatching it over two years later and after “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (2025) makes me appreciate it even more now. Tech bros are ruling and endangering the world, and they are mostly a disaster, especially as they support corrupt politicians, pseudoscience and racist, sexist chronically online vacuous personalities. Johnson actually made them look more appealing than the reality. Norton is an actor respected for his intelligence and dedication, so it is easier to transfer that reputation to Miles and believe that he is not as stupid as he is. Johnson hammers home the mistake of equating success and money with intelligence.
Success equals harm, violence, waste, carelessness, superficial unity, fake fun, and insecure relationships. Less Disruptors and more sheep, the group is self-interested. Some like the scientist and the governor hopes that one of them will take a stand and not accidentally destroy the world, but not enough to actually do it. Cue Andi, the outsider and the only one willing to risk it all to stop the madness, but everyone is more afraid of her and losing personal security than doing the right thing. Sound familiar—wanting Black women to save them without offering any tools or support and constantly hindering or attacking them. With the masses clamoring to save Jimmy Kimmel with the sound of crickets accompanying layoffs of over 600,000 Black women according to Fortune magazine, is the absence of Black women in the workplace correlation or causation with multiple systems crumbling without its silent backbone covering the institutional gaps? Is “Glass Onion” a movie or a documentary?
Monáe is stunning and commanding in this role, which includes an unexpected twist. If you are familiar “Knives Out” (2019), the formula is simple. A woman (of color?) like Ana De Armas’ character is the most vulnerable and likely to be blamed for anything that goes wrong but is actually innocent and the most deserving. Cue BB using his privilege and authority for good to balance the scales for the underdog. The most important part of any movie that wants to expose power structures is for it to look good and be fun, which “Glass Onion” absolutely is. Craig is as close to Bond levels of sleek as he will be since he left the 007 franchise, and Monáe would be stunning on her worst day. Also the accommodations are the definition of having your cake and eating it too. As viewers scoff over the excess, it is also fun to live vicariously through the characters as they loaf around a gorgeous Greek island.
“Glass Onion” used a tricky narrative device that “A House of Dynamite” proved could be a dud in the wrong hands. Johnson tells the story through the eyes of the establishment in the first hour. After the hour mark, the first onscreen murder occurs, and in ten minutes, Johnson rewinds and tells the story from Monáe and BB’s perspective before barreling towards the explosive denouement. It works here because up to that point, Andi is a bit of a femme fatale mystery. Also, Craig and Monáe have great chemistry. BB seemed vaguely like more of a buffoon in the first film, but here, he takes center stage in the first half before handing the baton to Monáe’s character. It is a subversive take on the South will rise again with Northerners being the ones exhibiting microaggressions (is it micro if they keep trying to kill her) against Monáe’s character while BB is at ease with her.
Side note: Jeremy Renner’s hot sauce and Jared Leto’s kombucha. Renner appears in the third film. Does that mean Leto is in talks to appear in the future? Please, no. The movie would bomb even if it is good. A screensaver of Serena Williams on a flat screen television becomes a hilarious jump scare. Yo Yo Ma appearing in the most unexpected place to educate the audience about music was delightful. My favorite may be Ethan Hawke appearing at the dock, but the reason for the cameo is horrible. He was shooting “Moon Knight” nearby. Oh, he should have ditched that series and come to the island. Noah Segan as Derol or Miles’ Kato Kelin was a hilarious mixture of normal and casual among a cast of over-the-top, intense characters.
I’m betting that “Glass Onion” will stand the test of time. It is gorgeous, clever, entertaining and fun while embedding a meaningful lesson that the audience has yet to learn. Listen to Black women and do not trust tech bros. Having a message does not have to be pedantic and dull. Kenneth Branagh wishes that he could be Johnson.
