Johnson peppers his murder mystery with a satire of the ruling class, and no one is spared.
When it was first announced that Rian Johnson’s modern classic Knives Out would be getting the sequel treatment courtesy of Netflix, there were some concerns over whether or not the subsequent instalments would be able to live up to their predecessor. Thankfully, the first sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery does exactly that.
The film sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as Benoit Blanc, a detective with a distinctive and charming southern accent. This time, he’s been invited along to the private Greek island of Miles Bron (Edward Norton), a tech billionaire, for a murder mystery weekend.
Other guests include Miles’ eclectic close circle; former model turned influencer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), men’s rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend Whisky (Madelyn Cline), politician Claire Deballa (Kathryn Hahn) and Miles’ former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe).
The group believe they’ve been assembled for a light-hearted murder mystery game, but, of course, the stakes are heightened, and they find themselves embroiled in a genuine crime scene that unravels as the film goes on.
Johnson peppers his murder mystery with a satire of the ruling class, and no one is spared, from the corruptible scientist to the vapid celebrity, to the well-meaning but performatively progressive politician. However, Johnson understands that this level of satire can reach the point of diminishing returns, and instead of hammering his point home, his critique is well-paced and measured throughout.
As well as offering a timely critique of society’s upper echelon, Jonson builds intrigue that keeps the viewer guessing right up until the film’s satisfying climax. What’s more, between physical comedy, its sharp script and the delightfully southern Daniel Craig, Glass Onion is packed with some genuine belly laughs. See it in the cinema and revel along with the theatre, or save it for the holidays and watch with you family as your turkey digests.
You can watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in Irish cinemas for one week from 23 November. It also lands globally on Netflix on 23 December.
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