Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Available on: Netflix

The sequel to 2019’s Knives Out is every bit as preposterous as its predecessor and, thankfully, only slightly less enjoyable.

Though far from perfect, writer-director Rian Johnson’s long-awaited whodunnit avoids most of the tropes associated with the ‘difficult second album’ and remains both enjoyable and engaging for much of its gratuitous runtime.

This is due in no small part to Johnson’s own unique approach to the murder-mystery model, which gradually reveals its culprit over the duration of its second act, and another riotous turn from leading man Daniel Craig, who returns as the legendary (and outrageously dressed) Southern detective Benoit Blanc.

While Craig is the undoubted star turn, Glass Onion elicits good performances from all of its A-list cast, including Edward Norton, here playing an insufferable, Musk-esque billionaire, and especially Janelle Monáe, who does most of the heavy lifting from a dramatic perspective.

However, despite its quirky appeal, this is essentially the same film as Knives Out (just with a Netflix budget) which means that even its more unexpected twists are never all that shocking. This is a criticism that could be levelled at almost all murder mysteries though, and doesn’t manage to quash the good-natured fun that lies at the core of Johnson’s flick.