Solving murders is a game to detectives, especially for Benoit Blanc, who incorporates such style and eccentricity into his cases that we are mesmerised by his vibrant persona. We have now seen him twice invited to deal with the crimes made between the wealthy and ostentatious. As we see Benoit demean them and surface their corrupted motifs, it becomes clear that our detective has a talent for exploiting the rich. Rian Johnson explores his genius by creating a story that strays so far from the first but demonstrates how awful and selfish the upper classes are in the same manner.
Before I get into my review, I would like to say that I am a sucker for an Agatha Christie novel – old pretentious houses, family estates with underlying drama and let’s not forget boat trips with love affairs gone wrong. While Glass Onion lives up to the requirements for a great murder mystery, the hyper-modern aspect is not to my personal taste. Regardless, it was a unique setting with the characters sitting around a pool on an island in Greece in Miles Bron’s crazy home, which almost felt like a fever dream. The classic trope of being trapped on an island with the killer, surrounded by colourful characters with clear motifs, was executed brilliantly as we grew to love and despise them all. Daniel Craig is a fabulous detective; his traditional mannerisms and judgemental facial expressions make his acting comically delightful as he deals with the party he is trapped with.
It is fascinating that the title of the film is ‘Glass Onion’ as both of Johnson’s films pay homage to the tradition of the murder mystery. The ‘Glass Onion’ references the answer to the crime being hidden in plain sight, the idea, the concoction, and the execution all occurring in the ‘Glass onion’. The famous ploy of a whodunit is having the murder in plain sight, it can be any one of the people in the room and having them all trapped on the same Island – very Agatha Christie indeed!
The Glass Onion did feel a lot more satirical than Knives Out, and I am still undecided on whether I am for or against this. The comical aspect did, in a way, take away from the seriousness of the film, and while the jokes were tasteful and fitting, they, at times, distracted from the mystery element a bit too much. I didn’t feel a sense of stress for the characters as the comic relief covered the tension and I was definitely more invested in solving the crime for the first film.
I cannot talk about Benoit’s partner in solving the crime without ruining certain aspects of the film, but once again, the partner, much like Ana de Armas, was a delightful asset to the plot. There are many twists and turns throughout, as every good murder mystery should have, and it is surely a unique standpoint on the portrayal of a murder mystery.
There is also a suggestion that our famous detective Benoit Blanc has a partner. Whilst in the bath playing a game online, he is sent a package which Philip- who Hugh Grant wonderfully plays- opens the door to receive, complaining because Benoit has been in the bath all week. There is already talk about a third film; hopefully, it might reveal more about Benoit’s personal life and Philip as a character.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I can see myself always looking forward to the future adventures of Benoit Blanc. There is an odd sense of comfort following eccentric detectives getting wrapped up in the plot of the murder and solving the crimes with them as they do.
Image Credit: “Daniel Craig at the 2022 TIFF Premiere of Glass Onion- A Knives Out Mystery (52357926037)” by GabboT is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.