Sundaymail Editor
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
I once described Rian Johnson’s 2019 smash hit “Knives Out” as a “cinematic masterpiece”, and a couple of years later, I still hold the film in high regard.
It is one of those movies that is good enough to resurrect an entire genre – the whodunit, in this case. I was one of those people who rolled their eyes when news started trickling in that a sequel was in the works.
After all, how does one improve on perfection? Well, the answer, much like the movie plot itself, is quite simple.
“Glass Onion – A Knives Out Mystery” simply replicates the formula that made its predecessor a huge success, improving on the elements that it did not do so well.
Daniel Craig reprises his role as the ultra-gifted detective Benoit Blanc.
This time around, his forced Southern accent is not as annoying as it was in the previous film.
Floundering and bored in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Blanc jumps at the chance to leave his house, when he receives an invite to a secluded private Island owned by an eccentric billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton).
Bron holds themed annual get-togethers with his college buddies and has planned a murder mystery party this time around.
The gang, which goes by the name of “The Disruptors”, includes a politician with many skeletons in her closet Claire Debella; the head scientist at Bron’s tech company, Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jnr); a former model turned fashion designer, Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson); and a wannabe social media influencer, Duke Cody (Dave Bautista).
At the very core, members of the ensemble cannot stand each other. The only thing they have in common is that they each need Bron’s money to stay relevant in their respective fields, and he uses it to his advantage.
When a former member of the group, Janelle Monae’s Helen, resurfaces, old secrets are revisited and wounds reopened.
Somebody drops dead, and Blanc sets out to catch the killer, all the while trying to solve an even bigger and more mysterious murder without letting any of the other guests know what he is doing.
Much like its predecessor, what holds “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” together is a combination of strong writing and stellar performances by the ensemble cast.
Given the genre, I cannot delve too much into the writing aspects without spilling out any spoilers, suffice to say there are plenty of great twists and turns throughout the 139-minute movie.
Each twist and turn is creative and you really do not see it coming.
Craig and Monae put up great performances, with the former in stellar form, accent aside, as the gifted detective. Monae pulls double duty and plays the Brand sisters, Helen and Cassandra, well.
It is her ability to jump from being a simple southerner school teacher (Cassandra) to the more flamboyant sibling that earns her high marks.
There is also a plethora of cameo and surprise appearances, some more recognisable than others.
These include Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephen Sondheim, Angela Lansbury, Natasha Lyonne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Yo-Yo Maa and Serena Williams, who feature in those blink-and-you-miss-them scenes.
They do not really add anything to the movie or its plot, but one can play a fun game of “guess that Hollywood star”.
Online Reporter