Toronto Review: Rian Johnson’s ‘The Glass Onion: A Knife to Uncover Mystery’

It’s surprising that what began as an afterthought, continuing the adventures of the world’s “greatest detective” detective Benoit Blanc, is not only an inevitable point in the series, but also one of the most exciting, funniest films and downright beautiful. . year. Cleverly executed, it boasts one of the year’s brightest scenarios, not only with its slick, boisterous dialogue and satirical mockery of pop culture, but also with its meticulous metaplot of traditional wit that engages the mind. It starts all over. Unusually, not a minute was wasted on Netflix’s latest offering, and it’s no surprise that the Christmas release is timed for a savvy crowd hitting the target with every hit.

Toronto Film Festival: Deadline Coverage

Director Rian Johnson was pretty open about the original. knives The direct premise and influence of this sequel – an old acquaintance summons a group of friends to a remote Greek island – pays homage to the 1973 oceanic crime thriller. the last of sheilaThe unexpected and somewhat psychedelic brainchild of screenwriters Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. glass bulb, however, is just having fun in this piece; Once it takes off, it becomes its own monster and creates a sickly kinetic rhythm that never stops. well aliens Georgian knives A world that is an exponential iteration of a great concept that already knows its hero inside out and thinks big when it comes to finding a worthy brain challenge.

Hosts here are the billionaire owner of Alpha, Miles Bronn (Edward Norton), and the friends who flock to his island are diverse. Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), a politician who ran independently after losing to a Democrat; Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), a famous scientist; Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), a former model with her own clothing line; and boys’ rights YouTuber Duke (Dave Bautista), who comes with his girlfriend Whiskey (Madeleine Klein). While waiting on the docks, everyone is surprised when famous detective Blanc (Daniel Craig) shows his masked face – the date is May 13, 2020, the culmination of quarantine – but is even more surprised to see Andy Brown (Janelle Monae). A former business partner with nothing but animosity between them after a bitter court case.

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Detailed puzzle boxes (apparently created by Ricky Jay’s apprentice) Broni greets guests when they land. Statues of Banksy await them on the sand, and Bronn absently strumming “Blackbird” on a guitar that McCartney says he wrote (note: watch the movie before commenting on this). Every 60 minutes, we hear a “hourly dong” written specifically for Bronn by Philip Glass, and nearly everything about his ridiculous paradise is traded and marketed: “The shame of these rich people is weird” as one character puts it.

Bronn recruits these seemingly random people for a weekend murder mystery game investigating them. her kill. But since all the guests have a good reason to see him dead (they are all addicted to Bronn’s “golden crowns”, as Andy explains), will the game really work? The guessing game starts now and then there are the queues. glass bulb Almost impossible to argue without spoilers, constant recalibration: Johnson, for example, combines Hitchcock’s action dizziness With an incredibly satisfying effect, but more importantly, without straying too far from the audience.

The key to this is a high sense of humor that has allowed Blanc to succeed like never before. knives He wouldn’t let that happen: now that the character is established, Craig brazenly has fun with him, pushing the boundaries of the southern cartoon, and then blowing him off the wrong foot with a gorgeous set piece in the first 40 minutes. Following his example, all characters, especially the old star, the empty bird, can send themselves. expensive And the tweeter is so reckless that his assistant has to hide his phone. Duke has a wonderful and equally bold self-teasing with his rifle butts and career-focused Norton: Where exactly has this fantastic actor been lately? – It’s just a cake.

This leaves two highlights: Craig, now free of Bond, finally wraps up the comedy by revealing previously unexplored depths (the scene where the dead Blanc hides between the hips of the bronze statue is a mini-masterpiece of the silent comedy). But the Ana de Armas award for the second iteration knives It goes to a fantastic minion that delivers one of the best and most intuitively perfect performances of 2022. The explosive ending might be a little messy, but glass bulb Not only that, joining Ruben Ostlund’s Palme d’Or winner sadness triangle It’s like a contagious, hilarious romp that spoils the smug pomp and vulgarity of a truly crazy world.