Rian Johnson is really getting the hang of this Agatha Christie thing.
The filmmaker's sequel to his 2019 whodunit hit, "Knives Out," "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is an improvement over its solid predecessor in every way.
Of course, some meaningful percentage of you already know this, with Netflix giving "Glass Onion" a one-week theatrical release at Thanksgiving time, during which it is believed to have grossed about $15 million. To many, why the streaming giant decided to give a movie with this much appeal — "Glass Onion boasts not only name recognition but also a topnotch cast — only a few days at theaters is the real mystery.
Regardless, "Glass Onion" finally becomes available to Netflix subscribers on Christmas weekend, and they are in for a gift.
Along with Johnson and several behind-the-scenes collaborators, the connective tissue between "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion" is Benoit Blanc, the master detective portrayed by Daniel Craig — Johnson's equivalent to the late whodunit master Christie's Hercule Poirot.
"Glass Onion" is set in May 2020, a few months into the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the lockdown has been tough on poor Benoit. He's been spending an alarming amount of time in the tub, with a few famous friends — the first of the film's handful of delightful cameos — trying to lift his spirit by playing mystery games with him over the computer. (As with "Clue," he is bad at them because they are so simple.)
He admits to his virtual pals he "loses it" between cases.
"My brain is a fueled-up racing car," he says in that now-familiar accent, "and I got nowhere to drive it."
That all changes when he is invited to a murder-mystery game on a remote island in Greece. The elaborate but intimate party is being thrown by a billionaire entrepreneur, Miles Bron (Edward Norton, "Fight Club"), for a few of his longtime friends, whom the detective views more as frenemies, each having reason to wish Miles harm.
One, in fact, now is an outright foe — Miles' former business partner, Cassandra "Andi" Brand (Janelle Monáe). Miles and Andi had an ugly split, concluding with a court case and Miles seemingly screwing her over with devious paperwork, some of which involves an all-important napkin.
The rest, though, are sort-of pals who depend on Miles' financial backing in one way or another: Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr., Broadway's "Hamilton"), the head scientist for Miles' company, who laments all of his boss' crazy ideas, even if some become quite profitable; Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson, "Almost Famous"), a supermodel-turned-fashion designer with a penchant for poorly thought-out social media posts; Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn, "WandaVision"), the governor of Connecticut and candidate for the U.S. Senate; and Duke Cody (Dave Bautista, "Guardians of the Galaxy"), a meat-headed livestreamer.
In their younger days, they all hung out at a bar called the Glass Onion, the name Miles has given to his huge, swanky and high-tech home on the island.
Also along for the ride are Peg (Jessica Henwick, "The Matrix Resurrections"), Birdie's endlessly frustrated and phone-confiscating assistant; and Whiskey (Madelyn Cline, "Outer Banks"), Dude's blond-and-bubbly girlfriend.
Oh, and we can't forget about Derol (Rian Johnson regular Noah Segan), a slacker working some things out on Miles' island and who, Miles assures everyone, is not a part of any of this. (Hmmmmmm.)
We learn, quickly, that as far as Miles is concerned, Benoit wasn't intended to be involved with the festivities, either — somebody other than the billionaire apparently having sent him one of Miles' mind-bendingly intricate puzzle boxes hiding an invitation to the soiree. Nevertheless, Miles is thrilled to have this world-famous detective at the shindig and assures Benoit that he is most welcome to stay and take part in trying to solve the mystery.
We should reveal little more about what happens in and around the Glass Onion, but be assured Johnson's tale is chock full of twists, turns and revelations.
As the screenwriter, he succeeds in peppering the mystery with clues you notice but don't quite know what to do with, others that seem obvious only in retrospect and still others you kick yourself for completely missing.
He's also made Benoit an even more enjoyable lead character, an endeavor in which he's been aided by Craig, the world's outgoing James Bond. With credits that — along with "Casino Royal," "Skyfall," "No Time to Die" and a couple of less engaging 007 adventures — include "Munich" and "Defiance," comedy isn't exactly his strong suit, but he gets some laughs here. In fact, Craig's performance is even more impressive once you've been let in a secret in the movie's middle.
The cast is solid all around, but it is Monáe ("Hidden Figures," "Antebellum") who shines second-brightest, thanks in part to a character about whom we want to say little. Just know there are several layers to that particular onion.
Ultimately, Johnson has a blast pulling back the layers of this romp he's crafted. While many of us aren't high on his journey through a galaxy far, far away — 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is a little worse upon every revisit — he is a top talent, as evidenced by early efforts "Brick" (2005) and "The Brothers Bloom" (2008). "Glass Onion" is his best film since 2012 time travel-dependent sci-fi thriller "Looper."
After the success of "Knives Out," Netflix purchased the rights to two sequels, the first being "Glass Onion."
Regardless of what kind of release Netflix ultimately grants a third Benoit Blanc mystery, we can't wait to see what twists, turns and missed clues Johnson has in store for us.
Deep into "Glass Onion," as the pieces have fallen in place for Benoit, the detective remarks on how dumb so much of what's transpired is.
"It's so dumb, it's brilliant!" adds one of the characters.
"No," he insists, "it's just dumb!"
Eh, it's all pretty smart.
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'GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY'
3.5 stars (out of 4)
Rating: PG-13 (for strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content)
Running time: 2:19
How to watch: On Netflix Friday
