Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story is the latest movie release by writer/director Rian Johnson, premiering on Netflix, and is a sequel to the acclaimed Knives Out. Both movies are murder mysteries that are tackled by the great Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig.

 The movie follows Benoit as he’s attempting to solve a mystery on an island owned by billionaire Miles Bron, played by Edward Norton. Mile’s friends are a modern Clue cast, featuring scientists, entrepreneurs, models, and social media influencers

The story is structured like a clue game too, the movie even references this constantly. Mile’s friends are each suspected in the crimes that further the plot, and the audience has to judge alibis and motivations if they want to predict the ending. These constant close observations make the story incredibly immersive. 

Each character has their own reasons to commit the crime, making for an incredibly suspenseful and mysterious story. Every inch of this movie is combed for details on how each scene and line delivery may look to each character, even the audience is considered.

 I cannot imagine how long it must have taken to ensure that every piece of information presented could be a potential clue to solve a wonderfully crafted mystery. The writing and direction are so clearly presented and it’s a refreshing look, and just makes the movie something to fall in love with. 

Every performance is great, and with this small of a cast, a single bad performance might ruin it. But there’s none, every character may not be utilized entirely, but every actor is pulling their own weight. Another factor that just draws you in and immerses you into the story. 

The review: Glass Onion is a brilliantly written and directed movie that displays Rian Johnson’s incredible ability to manipulate the information he gives his audience without ever actually sacrificing the plot’s integrity. The story is another brilliant mystery that wraps itself up perfectly. However, if you’re familiar with the first Knives out, then you understand that Johnson isn’t interested in just telling a traditional mystery story, he likes to take that cliché and spin it on its head. That still holds true for this movie, and I think it’s an engaging film that takes twists you would never expect. 

 Johnson uses the setting of the Covid pandemic for the movie, which unexpectedly fits this type of storytelling. The time is integrated into the story, and you can tell that Johnson is making this movie an interesting look at the humor, technology, and social life of the pandemic. I think this choice makes the movie special and something that won’t be soon forgotten. 

Overall, I would give this movie a 9/10. The movie is fundamentally written and directed beautifully. In an age of stale sequels and predictable narratives, this movie is a refreshing take and I’d recommend it to anyone.