We've come a long way since 'Knives Out' hit cinemas prior to the COVID pandemic.
After receiving a world premiere in Toronto in September 2019, Rian Johnson's tongue in cheek murder mystery became a critical and commercial hit on its release, thanks to an effervescent script and a brilliantly assembled cast who were willing to play along with its many double crosses.
Racing to a $312 million profit on a budget of just $40 million for Lionsgate, Johnson and his Israeli co-producer Ram Bergman had the whip hand in negotiating any sequels.
They, therefore, took advantage of the changing nature of movie distribution and sold the rights to two sequels to Netflix after it outbid Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
That meant a limited theatrical release and a slot for the first sequel, 'Knives Out: Glass Onion' as Netflix's big tentpole movie this Christmas on its streaming service.
Made in Greece during lockdown, Daniel Craig reprises his role as the celebrated sleuth Benoit Blanc.
A standalone murder mystery with few links to the previous film, it again affectionately parodies Agatha Christie murder mysteries and plays around with the beats of the genre.
Johnson's sequel also makes Kenneth Branagh's handsomely shot Hercule Poirot murder mysteries look very stodgy.
This time, the writer-director has assembled a completely new and less starry cast for an entirely fresh murder tale.
Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Clyne, Noah Segan and Janelle Monae join in the fun in a film that satirises our modern day fixation with billionaire entrepreneurs who talk a big game.
But instead of having Blanc arrive in the aftermath of a murder, on this occasion he is on site before the crime is committed.
Johnson's movie begins with four friends receiving an elaborate party invitation housed in a wooden box.
Hahn's Connecticut Governor Claire Debella, Odom Jr's head scientist for the Alpha tech company Lionel Toussaint, Hudson's ex-supermodel turned fashion designer Birdy Jay and Bautista's pistol packing social media influencer Duke Cody are pretty thrilled to receive the box which is actually a series of puzzles.
The friends collectively solve the puzzles over a conference call.
Finally a miniature glass onion opens inside each of their boxes to reveal an invitation to the private Greek island of their billionaire friend, Norton's Miles Bron.
Gathering in Greece, the gang are surprised to see Blanc and also Monae's former business partner of Miles, Cassandra "Andi" Brand boarding a yacht with them.
Birdy's assistant, Jessica Henwick's Peg and Duke's girlfriend, Madelyn Clyne's Whiskey tag along too.
They are especially unsettled to see Andi because she has been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with Miles that pitched her against the rest of them.
Greeting his guests off the boat with the chords of The Beatles' 'Blackbird' on the original guitar that Paul McCartney used to compose it, Miles welcomes Birdy, Duke, Governor Debella and Lionel to the island but seems just ad surprised to see Blanc and Andi.
Pulling Blanc aside under the dome of his elaborate Glass Onion residence, he tells the detective he hadn't invited him but will entertain him nevertheless.
There's a lot of noticeable friction between Andi, Miles and the other guests which Blanc observes with great interest.
Meeting for dinner, Miles spends a lot of time boasting about his considerable wealth and the artefacts he has acquired over the years including the real 'Mona Lisa'.
Miles is gutted, however, when Blanc quickly works out during the meal who the guilty party is in his murder mystery game.
Blanc is concerned, however, that the atmosphere on the island is so bad that Miles is actually playing with fire with his game by even putting the idea of murder into someone's head.
The billionaire brushes this off because he is too busy smarting from his game being ruined by Blanc - having forked out thousands of dollars on a writer to come up with an elaborate concept for his murder mystery.
During the course of the evening, Miles reveals to his guests plans to launch a hydrogen-based, clean energy fuel known as Klear.
Governor Debella and Lionel have grave reservations, though, about this new business venture - not least because it hasn't been properly tested.
The billionaire takes great pride, though, in being a disruptor and reveals that the new energy source is fuelling the Greek island retreat they are visiting.
When one of the guests dies suspiciously, though, during the course of the evening everyone is in a state of shock as Miles points out he may have been the intended target.
Blanc gets to sink his teeth, though, in a genuine murder mystery that will reveal uncomfortable truths for all, including the extent of their greed.
But who is responsible?
Given the dazzling way Johnson as a writer director went about his business in the original film in 2019, expectations were always going to be high for this follow-up.
Gratifyingly, 'Knives Out: Glass Onion' is well up to the task, matching those high expectations by not slavishly replicating the original's formula.
Narratively the film jumps between time periods to reveal key clues to the case that Blanc is solving.
Johnson's sequel is as pacy and playful as the previous film, stripping away it's mystery with tongue in cheek humour and the right amount of double crosses.
Craig is amusing again as the Southern US sleuth Benoit Blanc, delightfully playing him with more than a drop of smugness and self-satisfaction.
Monae proves every inch as good in a role that is not as one note as it is initially appears.
Norton is good value too as Miles, who Johnson uses to puncture media hype around the so-called genius of disruptive entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Bautista, Hudson, Odom Jr, Hahn, Henwick and Clyne also enthusiastically play their part in the game that unfolds onscreen.
Segan also delivers a good running joke as a slacker living on the island who periodically pops up and stumbles into the action when he is not supposed to be there.
With Jackie Hoffman playing Duke's domineering mother and Dallas Roberts as Governor Debella's husband at the start of the film, Johnson packs the movie with playful cameos that are not overdone.
Not only do Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim make their last screen appearances but Natasha Lyonne, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Yo-Yo Ma, Jake Tapper, Serena Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ethan Hawke participate.
There's a delightful, surprise appearance by a well known actor, which I will not spoil, as Blanc's lover.
And that's the thing about Johnson's 'Knives Out' films - they are so much fun you really don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen them yet.
They are light and frothy and, therefore, the right sort of entertainment to flop down on a sofa and watch as you recharge your batteries over Christmas.
Johnson and his cast don't take themselves or the story too seriously and with the help of Steve Yedlin's smart cinematography, Jenny Eagan's stunning costumes and Rick Heinrich's eye catching production design, they deliver a Festive treat that can be enjoyed at any time of the year.
Fans of murder mysteries will love its knowing references to other classics of the genre.
People simply looking for a good time will revel in its thrills and its humour.
'Knives Out: Glass Onion' is simply a hoot and there's nothing wrong with that.
Expectations of the third instalment have just soared.
('Knives Out: Glass Onion' was released in UK and Irish cinemas on November 23, 2022 and was made available for streaming on Netflix on December 23, 2022)
Comments
Post a Comment