Originally printed in Gair Rhydd
As Daniel Craig drawls on “the densely layered, mysterious and inscrutable” case in his latest turn as detective Benoit Blanc, Glass Onion, his outrageous southern dialect teeters on the point of absurdity. It’s still good value. Knives Out was the cosy lockdown hit picked up by Netflix, registering excitement for a long series of Benoit Blanc films, but to be a credible competitor for Disney+’s glut of franchises they have to get the things out. I like director Rian Johnson – he clearly loves cinema, and he gave us the most daring, exciting and inventive interpretation of Star Wars in some time in The Last Jedi. Glass Onion is of course good entertainment with the skilled director and star carried over, yet it feels rushed, with an eye waning on the films to come instead.
The film also takes on the rather passe bearing of lockdown. There’s a lot of discourse on whether movies should tackle the subject, but most can agree it was an awful time. Over-sweet, cuddly, and very American references to Among Us, masks, and baking are immediately dated, wrongfooted and a bit of a chore. But once the action is moved to a Greek island owned by an immeasurably wealthy tech giant, suitably upping the stakes for a sequel, it makes for certainly impressive spectacle. The entertaining fallout from the murder benefits from scenes submerged in darkness. It’s exotic setting complements a more tech-savvy, opulent and sexier film, and though it tides well for how much money Netflix can chuck at it, it’s comments on undue wealth would be more thought-provoking if not for placing Craig firmly in the Bond environment in which even he knows he has done all he can with.
Whilst the dim-witted Miles is a little one-dimensional – without divulging what exactly makes him so rich, he may as well have ‘ELON MUSK’ crayoned on his forehead – Edward Norton really excels, there’s so much slimy, quiet aggravation and loathsome idleness, a man too arrogant in his own intelligence for such an intricate mystery at play. Kate Hudson is very entertaining as a hammily obnoxious ex-model, and Janelle Monáe capturing well the intrigue of her character; she revels in peeling away her secrecy. Craig is having great fun as Blanc, but his mystery-solving skills are so assured there’s little sense of jeopardy; the film deliberately side-steps any moment of emotional resonance, such as a credible threat to himself, a romantic subplot, or a personal relationship with anyone involved. Blanc’s partner is introduced through a cameo so good you couldn’t help but cheer, but their relationship is not particularly overt. Benoit is an underdeveloped mystery that the film isn’t drawn to the prospect of solving. The somewhat clinical format could dangerously tire quickly in further instalments.
I preferred the twists of Glass Onion, but the cast is not as memorable. Where you think the story is going is brilliantly rug-pulled by a series of clever hints and details, but the film looks quite a bit of momentum getting there. I’m intrigued where the series will go next after going bigger into such a moneyed situation; it’s at its best utilising Johnson’s creativity with a cast of varied character actors, yet here they have gone slightly too far for gold.
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