Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the rare time a sequel is better than the first film. The cast is incredible and the twists are shocking.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Kathryn Hahn as Claire, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Edward Norton as Miles, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel, and Kate Hudson as Birdie. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
Knives Out is one of the best whodunnit films in recent history, so when Glass Onion was announced, it was hard to imagine it could be better. At the very best it was going to be on par with the first film. Then the cast list came out and it was clear that the plan was to give the original a run for its money, and we are happy to report it does all that and more. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is one of the rare times that the sequel is better than the original.
Daniel Craig is back as Detective Benoit Blanc in this compelling, intriguing, and twist-filled murder mystery. You might think you know what this movie is going to be all about, but you have no idea. It starts off very run of the mill but once the shocking turns start coming, the don’t stop. Sure, some plot points are predictable, but there are plenty of them that aren’t which makes Glass Onion an absolute blast to watch as viewers try to put together the pieces of the puzzle before all is revealed.
Just as with the previous film, the ensemble cast is fantastic. Each one plays their role perfectly, which means there really is not a standout character. Trust us when we say, this is a good thing. They are constantly one upping each other. All of the scenes are nearly perfect because of the chemistry between the cast.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022) Kate Hudson as Birdie, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel and Kathryn Hahn as Claire. Cr: Courtesy NETFLIX
When the second half of the movie starts, and we are propelled back in time a few days in order to discover what was truly going on, the characters don’t change who they are — we just see a different side of them. Viewers learn of hints here and there that we might have missed, on the road to revealing the way events unfolded. To say that a certain actor is the standout would be a lie, as they all are phenomenal, and clearly gave it their all.
Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, Dave Bautista as Duke Cody, Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella, Janelle Monáe as Andi Brand, Edward Norton as Miles Bron, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel Toussaint, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Jessica Henwick as Peg — they all have a role to play in the story and they all do it so well. This is hands down the best ensemble cast of the year, and it isn’t even close.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022) Edward Norton as Miles. Cr: Courtesy NETFLIX
From the very first scene it is easy to be sucked into the story. There is a lot going on here, and it isn’t all as it seems. With twist after twist thrown at us, in a way that works, the mystery will keep viewers entertained from start to finish. Not to mention all of the humor that is thrown in allowing us to be distracted by laugh out loud moments as well.
There is a lot to unpack in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, but that is what works so well about it. The biggest misstep is the random guy that shows up every so often in the story. While funny, it just doesn’t ever pay off like we imagined it might.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Edward Norton as Miles, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, and Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
This movie might be over two hours in length, but it is never really felt thanks to the smart writing and the brilliant decision to flip everything on its head about halfway through and basically start the story all over again. This causes intrigue and excitement, and allows us to almost hit a reset button and have us completely forget how long we have been watching for.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Janelle Monae as Andi. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
Overall Thoughts
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is an edge of your seat mystery that will keep audiences guessing nearly the whole way through. They might figure out some of the twists, or the culprit, but it is very unlikely that someone will be able to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and never be surprised by a reveal. There are a lot of secrets to expose in this hilarious movie that takes another fantastic ensemble and delivers one of the best films of the year.
The brilliant writing, editing, and direction come together along with the stellar cast performances in order to keep viewers entertained from start to finish. The long runtime is never felt, but there are a few things that could have been cut. Still, this movie gives us far more good than bad, and will have fans begging for more Detective Benoit Blanc stories.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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About Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
In the follow up to Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colorful suspects.
Returning to the franchise he began, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rian Johnson writes and directs Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and assembles another all-star cast that includes a returning Daniel Craig alongside Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline with Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is in theaters for one week starting November 23rd and comes to Netflix December 23rd.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association, Hollywood Critics Association, and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.