Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Score: A (9.5/10)

Glass Onion masterfully manages to reinvent the murder mystery wheel while questioning the sheer stupidity of mankind and the people who manipulate it.

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Rian Johnson is a polarizing figure to many across the globe. The Star Wars fanbase often accuses him of ruining the sequel trilogy with his often witty dialogue. Unfortunately, his writing style doesn’t fit into the tonality of the Star Wars franchise, ultimately affecting The Last Jedi’s overarching plot. Luckily, Johnson’s next film, Knives Out, proved to many that his writing and directing style deserves a place in cinema. His love for murder mysteries mixes extravagantly with his witty character banter that far exceeds what it is. However, once the film industry notices a profitable formula, they take advantage of it.

Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion, or, according to Netflix, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is an extension of what occurred in Knives Out. Every character brings their faults to the table, making them more than capable of killing one another. However, the true intent behind Miles Bron’s friends, and Benoit Blanc, being invited to Bron’s island home goes right over everyone’s heads, including the audience. Once again, Rian Johnson masterfully subverts the audience’s guessing game of whodunnit by giving vital information as the film progresses. After all, it wouldn’t be a murder mystery if they gave away every clue the film includes right at the start of it. It all comes down to perspective, as each character withholds important details that further explain the killer’s and suspects’ motives.

Rian Johnson also provides another form of social commentary on today’s world. The film takes place during the pandemic and has a multi-billion-dollar businessman inviting his friends onto an island. Miles Bron, who’s said businessman, coerces his old friends into following him because almost all of them work for him, making the ever-present idea of “money talks” take center stage. Benoit Blanc can’t compete against money because it covers up anything and everything when used to enforce power, something Miles is great at doing. However, greed and power come at the cost of sheer stupidity, as the hidden clues money hides are easily exploited once those who must follow it decide not to.

It’s needless to say that Rian Johnson succeeds at not just a murder mystery but also modern-day commentary. He’s continued to exploit the people running the world without any of them realizing it. Many of them often don’t realize how it's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.