Why does looking at attractive people waiting to be escorted to a luxurious hideaway catch and hold one’s attention? Just a few weeks ago, The Menu was on. Perhaps it’s the satisfaction of knowing that a whodunit is just around the corner, waiting to be unraveled by the eccentric detective who will guide you through the maze-like labyrinth of red herrings, clues, false leads, and guilty-looking suspects to reveal the shining truth of who, where, what, why, and how.
It is not surprising that in these scary times, cozy crime, when a group of not-so-nice individuals is isolated in a secluded place and start to die, is becoming more popular than large-budget CGI-stuffed superhero capers. When a detective solves the crime, we may happily resume our daily lives knowing what caused the interruption of the regular order of things. And so it is with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, director Rian Johnson’s follow-up to the comical Knives Out from 2019. It stars Daniel Craig as the greatest detective Benoit Blanc, complete with an odd Southern accent, as he attempts to solve the murder of wealthy patriarch and renowned crime writer Harlan Thrombey in an Agatha Christie-style mystery (Christopher Plummer).
Murder mystery fans are pleased with Daniel Craig
The eccentric computer millionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites a strange bunch of foes to join him on his Grecian island for a weekend of pleasure, which, in addition to the typical activities, involves playing a murder game. They wait at the pier in the movie Glass Onion. It is absolutely appropriate to have flashbacks to Agatha Christie’s Dead Man’s Folly, in which a murder investigation for a summer festival goes tragically wrong. The group consists of Miles’ old friends, including Birdie (Kate Hudson), a former supermodel who made a fortune with her designer sweatpants, Duke (Dave Bautista), a men’s rights activist, and Claire (Kathryn Hahn), the governor of Connecticut. Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.), Miles’ chief scientist, is also a member.
The gang also includes Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey and Birdie’s secretary Peg (Jessica Henwick), who is often putting out flames as Birdie speaks out on social media (Madelyn Cline). Derol (Noah Segan), a slacker whom Miles claims has nothing to do with the murder investigation, is wandering around the island. Andi (Janelle Monáe), Miles’ former business partner, who lost a case against Miles and Blanc, stands out as the odd one out. Glass Onion gives unbridled excitement, from the invitation, which has riddles inside puzzles and includes hints disguised in musical notation and the Fibonacci Sequence, to the murder mystery penned by none other than Gillian Flynn (it was Ariadne Oliver in Dead Man’s Folly).
The setting (Spetses, Greece) is the greatest type of eye pleasure, and there are enough turns and turns to keep even the most keen-eyed viewers interested. The entire cast is brilliant and dives into their parts with unrestrained zeal. Craig is surprisingly at ease making fun of himself, saying in all seriousness things like “My mind is a filled up racing car and I got nowhere to drive it.” Keeping an eye out for cameos adds additional layers of joy. Hugh Grant as Blanc’s lover (yes, he is homosexual), Ethan Hawke plays Miles’ assistant, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the plodding Hourly Dong who keeps the time. The title is purposefully vague to appeal to puzzle solvers.
The ideal Christmas present, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, combines a clever narrative, talented actors, and a breathtaking setting.
Right now, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is available on Netflix.
