Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
With “Glass Onion,” the formula for Rian Johnson’s mysteries is set in stone- take people with one person in common, and see how their sense of morality is laid bare when greed and murder are intertwined. In “Knives Out,” it didn’t matter whether the characters were progressive or conservative, compassionate or bigoted, once what they felt they were owed is at risk, they’re all the same. For Johnson, putting together an intriguing mystery is a key part of it, but more important is seeing how these characters crack when faced with a mind as brilliant and curious as Benoit Blanc when the cards are on the table.
This might be the biggest movie yet to actually take place during the pandemic that acknowledges said pandemic. As the film begins, we’re two months into lockdown, and we see the characters wearing masks- or violating social distancing- and how they handle things in the real world before they get the invite to escape to an island off the coast of Greece by their friend, Miles Bron (Edward Norton), for a “murder mystery” weekend. Having a real-life detective on the island has its downside, but also adds some intrigue because Blanc (Daniel Craig) is not part of Bron’s clique of friends, which includes a politician (Kathryn Hahn), a fashionista (Kate Hudson), a misogynistic video blogger (Dave Bautista), an engineer (Leslie Odom Jr.) and a former business partner (Janelle Monáe). So how did Blanc get invited?
Early on in the film, we see Blanc in his apartment. He is playing a game with some of his friends over Zoom- you can tell that lockdown is getting to him; he appreciates his friends, but he misses people, and needs a complicated puzzle to crack. The title of this film is appropriate, because it implies something that has layers, but is fragile, and indeed, that is the case with the characters Blanc finds himself with, both on an individual basis and collectively. All of them have a weakness to be exploited, despite being a “disrupter” in their field of expertise. Whom is going to disrupt Bron’s plans for the weekend, or Blanc’s investigation? It wouldn’t be fair to give up the game here.
I love that Johnson and Craig both seem perfectly willing to give us more Benoit Blanc mysteries until they cannot make anymore. Blanc is not a complicated individual, but he’s a delightful one. The absurd southern drawl and slow burn he worked with during “Knives Out” made for a fascinating contrast in tones. He seemed imposing and silly at the same time. Here, there are times when he appears star struck by Bron, and there’s a moment when the murder mystery is getting ramped up that is so delightfully funny you wonder exactly how the narrative laid out is going to recover. When it does, it’s not what we expect, and it puts Blanc back on the offensive, doing what he does best. Johnson loves not only building the mystery to where we can solve it by paying attention close enough, but also changing things up structurally utilizing flashbacks that reveals important information at just the right moment. Like an onion, there’s a lot of layers.
These films have to be a delight to be cast for, because Johnson’s characters fill specific archetypes, but he gives the actors a wide berth with which to explore them. This is the sort of film that reminds you why Norton came out of the gate as one of the most exciting character actors around, and has been willing to push himself in several directions for filmmakers. Miles Bron seems very inspired by Elon Musk to me, and the way Norton plays the role makes it feel like he’s studied him for a while to get every mannerism the new Twitter CEO has to get to what makes him tick- it’s a great performance. Hahn as a governor looking for higher office is ideal, as she always seems to be in politician mode, careful of her words but also looking at which way the wind blows. Hudson is a delight, as is Jessica Henwick as her assistant. Bautista is terrific as a man whose ego is as thick as his body structure, and Madelyn Cline is good as his girlfriend, Whiskey. As Lionel, a brilliant engineer for Bron, Odom Jr. delivers another strong performance that shows you cannot pigeonhole him as one thing. Monáe is the breakout character in this film, though, as she will be the one that really peels back the layers of this group, and reveal the truth of the situation. She matches Craig beat-for-beat.
When I watched the first “Knives Out,” I wrote about how Johnson likes tweaking genre in a way that is revealing of something unexpected. One of the things that is so interesting about the “Knives Out” mysteries is that he’s not really twisting anything in the mystery genre itself, but how film language and narrative is used to tell said mystery. “Glass Onion” is a great example of that, and I cannot wait to see what he has next for us, and Blanc.
