Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

When it comes to Agatha Christie, what kind of whodunit is it when the revelation of the perpetrators is a yawn for the detective (and even twice)? An onion that won’t make you cry with laughter and only released some juice after a shot through glass. The satirical backdrop of the golden nipple and the loss of mammal loyalty after its emptying is not particularly groundbreaking, and even though Rian Johnson built the best moments on small details, they didn’t create a functioning whole. Benoit Blanc seemed more balanced compared to the first film. Perhaps it was due to the Greek climate and his marriage to Hugh Grant. By the way, there were about two times when the cut came on a close-up of Craig, and the next began with notable music and a captivating shot of a floating boat in exotic settings. It was hard not to remember it, but what can you do now...? (2023-01-25)

Daniel Craig does a credible job, his detective character fits him like a tailored suit, and he enjoys playing that character to the maximum delight of the viewer. The costumes and the interiors and exteriors in the second Knives Out adventure are also great. The other characters arouse the viewers’ interest in unravelling the mystery and, mainly, revealing their true relationship with their host, a billionaire played by Edward Norton. However, the denouement is in no way surprising or clever, which makes the film merely a pleasant, colorful diversion with a refined style. (2023-04-04)

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Knives Out because of the well-written story, great atmosphere, and Ana de Armas. This time, however, I was mainly faced with excessive running time, long, unnecessary explanations, and left-wing propaganda (and I'm not exactly wealthy capitalist myself). Plus, the finale played into the hands of all those crazy activists smearing mashed potatoes on works of art in galleries. This activity will soon solve all our planet's environmental problems. The main problem with the film was that it contained occasional moments that amused me, but desperately few for a movie with a running time longer than two hours. I'm not sure if Daniel Craig and Edward Norton portrayed characters influenced by COVID so well or if they were just tired. Most of the characters (if not all) lacked depth; the plot was sometimes boring and occasionally even irritating, so I'm obviously not impressed. / Lesson learned: An idiot in charge is not an unusual phenomenon. 3*-. (2023-01-17)

I was surprised that Rian Johnson sent the sequel to one of the most entertaining detective films in recent years straight to Netflix. But I get it — when it comes to choosing between theaters and VOD services, money talks. That said, this movie doesn't disgrace Netflix at all. Finally! While it didn’t captivate me as much as the first one, which was surprisingly brilliant in its detective quality, this sequel still delivers. By now, viewers have certain expectations and know that Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc is something to look forward to, and he doesn’t disappoint. The downside is the overly complex plot, its length, and some of the characters. However, these are minor issues compared to the fact that I had a great time watching it. For a five-star rating, it needed a bit more of that unexpected twist — something the first movie had. (2022-12-29)

A stylish whodunit mystery genre film, which is an order of magnitude better than those unwatchable Poirot chick flicks. I slept through the first one in the cinema, so I wasn't too interested, this was a bit more entertaining, but still not my cup of tea. Rian Johnson never deserves 4 stars from me. What I liked most was the attractive setting of the island itself, which looks nice, it's all fancy and I dig that. Of the actors, Daniel Craig again reigns supreme, and Janelle Monáe, for whom I have a soft spot, is likeable. I was expecting comic relief from Dave Bautista, unfortunately that didn't happen and Edward Norton is just alright. It's nicely filmed, well acted and the mystery itself seems intelligent, though this time I found it too predictable (the ending of the first part was better). I didn't find it very funny, there are no gags and the 140-minute running time is unnecessarily long, considering it is just a conversation piece. I got through it without much distress, which is appreciated given the genre. There's nothing like Korean and Nordic mysteries. 65% (2022-12-25)