‘Glass Onion’ is perfectly entertaining

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

• Directed by: Rian Johnson
• Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe
• Mystery/Crime/Comedy | PG-13 | 2 hr 19 min
• Streaming on Netflix

3.5 stars

By Reed Ripley

It’s increasingly difficult to find crowd-pleasing franchise entertainment that doesn’t feature superheroes or space wizards. Sure, this Oscar season brought us Top Gun: Maverick, but that took nearly 40 years to deliver. Insert Glass Onion—a wonderfully executed whodunnit that continues its predecessor’s knack for successfully iterating on one of film’s most beloved, and overused, genres. 

There’s so much to like in Glass Onion, starting with Daniel Craig’s second go at Benoit Blanc, director Rian Johnson’s Southern, modern version of Hercule Poirot. He really lets loose in this one, even more so than in Knives Out, and his scene-chewing spreads throughout the film’s stacked case like a fever. It’s an absolute romp heightened through a fantastically funny script that both subverts and praises its genre roots.

Glass Onion’s base nature is that of an entertaining murder mystery and puzzle box, but as with most Rian Johnson films, it’s got something to say beyond aren’t we all having a great time? This time, it comes most pointedly in the form of Edward Norton’s Miles Bron, an intentionally thinly veiled Elon Musk analogue. The film unequivocally paints Bron as maybe-smart, maybe-dumb self-absorbed jerk who falls upward thanks to a strong cult of personality. That kind of nonchalant power can have devastating consequences for those unfortunate enough to find themselves in such a character’s sandbox. 

Glass Onion is perfectly entertaining and elevates beyond that at times. Perhaps it’s time to stop worrying so much about the future and smell the onions.

Reed Ripley is a local attorney with a flare for watching movies. You can find more reviews from Reed Ripley at Ripleysreviews.com