“For at least one person on this island, this is not a game.”

Despite my deep affection for Knives Out, I approached Glass Onion with some trepidation because the cast didn’t seem as interesting as that of the original film and because the trailer and other clips I’ve seen didn’t inspire any confidence. Well into the film, my fears seemed realized. Who cares about these rich creeps? But after the flashbacks begin, everything begins falling into place, and the film becomes very entertaining. You wonderful folks out there in Letterboxdland have done a good job of analyzing Glass Onion, so I will simply offer some miscellaneous observations.

As far as the performances go, Daniel Craig’s Benoir Blanc is as delightful as in Knives Out, excelling in the frequent confusion by “the world’s greatest detective.” Craig makes the character even goofier than in the original film. The other standout performance is by Janelle Monae, finding nuances within two characters. She and Craig complement each other quite well. Edward Norton is one of those actors I neither like nor dislike, but he never seems to be very interesting. Here, however, he’s surprisingly good, taking Miles Bron from arrogance to insecurity with a few layers in between. I also love that Rian Johnson makes this self-proclaimed genius a malaprop-prone idiot. The rest of the cast is good, though Leslie Odom, Jr., doesn’t get enough to do, and the appeal of Kathryn Hahn remains a mystery to me.

One of the highlights of the film is the production design of Rick Heinrichs. Bron’s estate is fascinating to look at. I also like the plants outside.

I love the characters’ different hairstyles in the flashback.

I love the surprise cameos.

I love that Bron has a permanent guest (Noah Segan) like Klipspringer in The Great Gatsby. Segan has been in all of Johnson’s films.

I love the hot sauce slowly making its way into a character’s nostril.

I love Blanc’s orange shirt, blue-and-red robe (although I don’t wear robes), and purple-and-blue tie (although I don’t wear ties). I especially love the striped jersey in a nod, sez Craig, to Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief.

And what is Tony Chekhov always saying about having the appearance of the Mona Lisa at the beginning of a film?

“I came here from Alabama.”

Watched on Netflix.

2022 Ranked