Daniel Craig looks like he’s never enjoyed filmmaking more – since swapping Bond for eccentric detective Benoit Blanc.
The original Knives Out ‘whoddunit’ was so highly-regarded that streaming giant Netflix bought the rights for director Rian Johnson – the helmer of Star Wars: The Last Jedi – to make two more sequels.
And it looks like a shrewd piece of business, with this arguably every inch as good as its predecessor – or only a ‘touch’ below at the very least. This time, just switching the setting from a Massachusetts mansion to a sunny Greek island.
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in May of 2020, Edward Norton’s Miles Bron, the billionaire co-founder of the technology company Alpha, decides to host a murder mystery weekend ‘to see who murdered him’ at his mansion – known as the Glass Onion – on his private island in Greece.
He invites five long-time friends in the form of fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), internet streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr) and recently-ousted Alpha CEO Cassandra ‘Andi’ Brand (Janelle Monae). Craig’s famous investigator Blanc also receives an invitation, along with Birdie’s assistant Peg (Jennifer Henwick), and Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline).
But as expected, with such an eclectic list of personalities, there’s plenty who could find reason to murder Miles ‘for real’ – and all to the backdrop of his Glass Onion abode. Which coincidentally houses the original Mona Lisa painting – which he has on loan from the Louvre as a symbol of his historical aspirations – and is powered by ‘Klear’, a hydrogen-based alternative fuel that Alpha is about to launch, despite ‘volatility’ safety concerns.
And through some truly satisfying brain-teasing set-pieces – which is what ingratiated cinema-goers to Blanc in the first film – more of the same stupendously ensues in this sunshine-laden locale.
Which by recent comparison puts these first two instalments of the Knives Out series way ahead of the Kenneth Branagh-led Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot remakes – being shatteringly-superior in almost every way.
So it’s most definitely worth peeling back the layers of the latest Craig/Johnson mystery collaboration – with a deserved third film being planned too – as this commendable sequel is as gratifyingly sharp as the original.
ESP Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
Netflix Exclusive, Out Now
Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline & Noah Segan
Running Time: 2 Hrs 19 Mins