As far as Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery movies are concerned, the “Knives Out” franchise does indeed qualify as such with its subtle touch of fun that comes from the deductions and the revelations. Furthermore, it is the detective’s character, in this case, Benoit Blanc, who manages to take us, the viewers, along with his client, on a journey across the facts and clues that eventually lead to the ultimate answer. It is not about the murder but the way it is committed; that is the case in point here. It is just as Christian Bale’s Alfred Borden said in 2006’s “The Prestige,” that it is not the secret that impresses people but the trick behind the magic that does.
In “Glass Onion,” Benoit Blanc is invited by billionaire Miles Bron to solve his murder along with six of his friends. It is supposed to be a game (Miles doesn’t really die) that gets over too soon, as Blanc doesn’t take even a minute to deduce who the murderer is. However, the real game begins when one of Bron’s friends dies due to a mysterious reason. The death occurs after almost half of the film is over, and director Rian Johnson expertly manages the first half by making us sit on the edge of our seats, waiting for the crime to be committed while introducing the characters one by one. The second half takes us for a ride as the details that we missed in the first half are revealed one by one. Many of us might just have guessed who the murderer is and at the end of the film find out that we were right. However, it is how everything has been set up and the way Blanc throws light on it that makes the revelations worthy and fun.
The characters deserve special mention due to their stark differences in nature and appearance. Their appearance is what makes the whole situation look like a canvas of abstract art upon which myriad shades of bright colors have been spread. It is confusing as intended but doesn’t fail to impress us with its beauty. An eccentric billionaire, a desperate politician, a flamboyant supermodel and fashion designer, a men’s rights activist and influencer, and his partner, and a scientist. Each of them has their own thing going on in their lives, and yet each of their threads merges at the center, which is Miles Bron. In this way there is a method that the madness occurs. All the actors play their parts very well, but special mention needs to be given to Daniel Craig and Edward Norton. Craig seems to have aged pretty well as Benoit Blanc since the first “Knives Out” film. He does not once seem out of place and is nicely able to give his sleuth nature a subtle comic touch that is accentuated by his accent.
Edward Norton, as Miles Bron, nails it as a money-minded billionaire who prefers the future to people who may or may not be in it. He almost makes us question why he invited his friends to his Greek island in the first place? What would have happened if Blanc hadn’t arrived there? He did intend to kill Duke, who was the only living proof of Bron having visited Andi the day she was found dead, but what about the others? And why the murder mystery? Did Bron intend to kill all his friends, as he didn’t know if Duke had told any of them about having seen Bron on the way to Andi’s house? We can never tell for sure. However, we must consider the possibility that he wanted to kill Duke—not to prevent him from telling others about Andi’s death (Duke’s Google notifications), but to remove evidence as he had seen Duke heading to Andi’s home. Furthermore, Bron took advantage of Blanc’s idea for the murder and put it into effect, knowing that everyone else present had a strong reason to kill Andi (who was, in fact, Helen), or at least that’s what he thought. What’s interesting is how “Knives Out 2,” in exploring all this, goes from scene to scene in the first half and then repeats the same scenes from a different angle in the second half. It is like saying that in order to know more than we already do, we need to look at things from a different angle or perspective. What seems to be isn’t the truth, and the truth isn’t what it seems to be.
Be that as it may, “Glass Onion” is a true successor of “Knives Out,” which outshines its predecessor. Unlike in “Knives Out,” detective Benoit Blanc is lost in a world he doesn’t connect with, in a new environment. So, everything is new, and his only way to get help is from Andi’s twin sister, Helen Brand. This makes the film even more entertaining with all its jokes and mysteries, the perfect combo. Altogether, “Glass Onion” only adds to the hunger for more “Knives Out” mysteries in the future, as faced by Benoit Blanc, who has certainly become one of the best sleuths in films. There is only one question that bugs me in all of this. If Miles Bron did kill Andi, what was the purpose of sending her the invitation box? Is this a flaw in the script, or are we missing something? This mystery is for us to solve.
See more: ‘Glass Onion’ Ending, Explained: What Happened To Andi Brand? Does Benoit Blanc Solve The Mystery?
