Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, review

Benoit Blanc returns to solve another mystery. In Glass Onion he travels to Greece to a billionaire’s island where a group of people have been invited for a murder mystery party. When a guest does actually die, Blanc springs into action.

In Glass Onion, Rian Johnson has managed to create an entertaining and fun film which, whilst it doesn’t quite hit the heights of its predecessor, is a well weaved whodunnit.

When Knives Out came out in 2019, it created a brand new and yet old school murder mystery which has all the interesting key players we can expect from this genre. A victim, a suave intriguing detective, a witness who isn’t quite forthcoming, an aggressive character who is the obvious killer but not really and a mixture of different personalities who are all suspects. Glass Onion very much continues with these tropes whilst being something brand new in the world of Benoit Blanc.

Crafting a sequel to a perfect film is a difficult task, however Rian Johnson has kept the sense of humour, fun and twists that made the first film so popular. Starting off during the pandemic with a puzzle being dropped off to all of the guests, we’re introduced to scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), party animal Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) gun-toting live streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and ambitious politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn). Within each puzzle is an invite from their friend Miles Bron (Edward Norton) the pretentious rich boy who is an amalgamation of all tech billionaires but let’s be honest, he’s mostly Elon Musk. They’ve all been invited to his private island along with Janelle Monáe’s Andi Brand to take part in a murder mystery weekend, where Bron will play the victim. Cody’s girlfriend Whiskey also joins in the mix (Madelyn Cline) as does Jay’s ever-suffering assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick).

In keeping with similarities to the first film which took real life elements and slotted them into the narrative, Glass Onion has a similar way in which it plays with reality. There is an element of poking fun at celebrities which considering how heaving this all star cast is makes it even more amusing. This mixes perfectly with Hudson’s character who is constantly putting her foot in it with some odd racial slurs. It’s almost a comment on how many times a celebrity can be cancelled before they never come back and before they are allowed to endorse anything again.

One of the challenges of this ensemble is balancing them just right, ensuring they are all used to the best of their abilities and given something to do. More dominate the screen than others but Johnson has managed to make each character not just memorable but alluring, even in his own twisted way. It’s an extremely funny film which occasionally strays more into comedy than mystery but most of the time it works like Blanc saying how stupid things are such as the board game Clue (Cluedo to the rest of us). Craig is given a more rounded character this time as he’s steeped within the mystery itself and not just a, to quote the great man, “passive observer.” We find out more about him and it’s a welcome change. Blanc was always the main reason Knives Out worked so well with Craig’s distinctive accent, line delivery and mannerisms, however it’s Monáe’s complex performance which deserves praise. She’s showing off her dramatic and comedic skills, both of which work beautifully in sync. The change of characters and location has allowed costume designer Jenny Eagan to go wild with creative choices and colours, especially with Blanc’s summer atire and pretty much everything Monáe wears. It’s all very bright, beautiful and chic.

Johnson has once again created an interesting web of twists and turns that makes for a thoroughly entertaining watch. With this being the second film in the Knives Out / Benoit Blanc universe and first of the Netflix deal, fingers crossed they carry on making these films for a long time to come.

4 out of 5.

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BFI London Film Festival 2022 Closing With Glass Onion

It’s either been announced or it’s been shown at every major film festival going at the moment and now, like the Lionesses, it’s coming home. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will close the 66th BFI London Film Festival.

The film will have its European premiere on October 16th at Southbank Centre at the Royal Festival Hall with Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Ed Norton and more confirmed to attend. The sequel to his 2019 whodunnit hit takes place in Greece with Craig reprising his role as detective for hire, Benoit Blanc as he takes on a new case. Hopefully he will suspect even more foul play with plenty of doughnut holes.

Discussing his new film being show at the London Film Festival, Rian Johnson, says, “I’m thrilled to be back at LFF with Glass Onion, and it’s an honour to be closing the festival. A proper whodunnit really does belong in London, so it feels a bit like coming home!” Also in the cast are Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline and Dave Bautista. Whether we’ll see anyone else from the previous movie remains to be seen, however it looks unlikely at this point.

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was a major hit when we hosted the European Premiere at the Festival in 2019. Our audiences adored the film’s wit and that it tipped its very stylish hat to the wonderful tradition of British onscreen sleuths. And here, Rian Johnson strikes gold again with the help of the year’s hottest ensemble cast. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion is entertaining and culturally literate in equal measure, making some hilarious, razor sharp observations about the world we live in. The European Premiere of the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will bring the house down as the Closing Gala of the 66th BFI London Film Festival!”

Recently via Twitter when announcing the title of the Knives Out sequel, Johnson described his admiration for Agatha Christie and her mystery novels. He said that there was a misperception of her novels and that she stretched the boundaries of the whodunnit in that her books were also spy stories, gothic romances, serial killer hunts, psychological character guides and much more. He has said he is using this as inspiration for the Knives Out films and that each one will have its own tone. Very interesting to hear this and now all we need is a trailer.

The 66th BFI London Film Festival will take place between 5th – 16th October with the full programme being announced on September 1st.

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Knives Out Announced For BFI London Film Festival

BFI London Film Festival has announced Knives Out will be this year’s film for the American Express Gala. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the film features a huge A-list cast which includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, LaKeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon and a lot more. An updated version of the classic murder mystery, Johnson has returned to the director’s chair following his 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The writer/director says, “I’m thrilled to be screening Knives Out at the BFI London Film Festival. This film was an attempt to capture the twisty fun of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, it’s a great pleasure to be showing it in the country responsible for the genre’s golden age.”

Knives Out takes place in the home of renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) who is found dead just after his 85th birthday. With all his eccentric family gathered, an inquisitive detective called Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate as he informs the relatives that no one can leave as they are all suspects.

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director says “With Knives Out, Rian Johnson has crafted a devilishly clever and wickedly entertaining new crime caper. As with his previous work, Johnson brings immense erudition and passion for the conventions of the genre he’s working in, but always makes something entirely his own. This is impeccably designed, with writing that keeps you guessing to the final moments and his extraordinary cast are at their arch and compelling best. Knives Out is a whodunit, as sharp as the blade that killed the patriarch at the heart of the film and we are overjoyed to present the European Premiere as our principle partner, American Express’s Gala.”

The film will receive its European premiere on October 8th, with the festival taking places from 2nd – 13th October. Knives Out will be released in the UK on November 27th.

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Danny Boyle Exits Bond 25

In incredibly frustrating and annoying news, it’s been announced that Danny Boyle has left James Bond 25 due to, that old chestnut, creative differences.

Being announced by Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli via the official James Bond Twitter, they have said that he has left today but when the decision was made is anyone’s guess. The 25th film in the franchise and what is set to be Daniel Craig’s fifth and final go as 007 is as of yet untitled is still due for release on October 25th, 2019 with production scheduled for early December at Pinewood. Boyle came on board in May after months of speculation regarding who would be taking over from Sam Mendes.

Director of films including Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, The Beach and 127 hours, it’s thought that the prolific filmmaker would bring something new to the franchise which can sometimes seem a tad dated.

On a personal note, I’m utterly gutted. I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to a Boyle directed Bond film. Yes they are old school and they need some updating, who better than one of the best British directors of all time? I’m unsure where it’s going to go or what will happen next but I hope they have someone else great in mind.

Either way I hope this hasn’t shaken or stirred Boyle up too much and that he’ll be back behind the camera in no time.

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Danny Boyle Confirmed For Bond 25

Rumours were flying around regarding who the next James Bond would be then when Daniel Craig finally confirmed he’ll be having one more go at the role, speculation went wild about the director for Bond 25. Whilst he was being talked about and considered, it’s been left until today to confirm Danny Boyle as the director of the 25th James Bond film.

Boyle has been said to be developing a script with John Hodge with whom he regularly collaborates. However it didn’t seem likely due to another project, said to be a musical with Richard Curtis, being in development at the same time. The apparently final outing for Craig will be his fifth time as the title character, which will surpass Pierce Brosnan’s four films but not quite match up to the 7 a piece for Roger Moore and Sean Connery. 

“We are delighted to announce that the exceptionally talented Danny Boyle will be directing Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as James Bond in the 25th installment of the franchise,” said EON Productions’ Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli in a statement. “We will begin shooting Bond 25 at Pinewood Studios in December with our partners at MGM and are thrilled that Universal will be our international distributor.” With production beginning at the end of this year, the release has been pinned down to  October 25th 2019 release date for the UK and November for the USA. 

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Bond, James Bond x 23.

James Bond has turned 50. Looking good for his age I’m sure you will agree. As the reviews praising the latest outing of 007 in Skyfall come in, here at Neel’s Reel Deel, I’m taking a look at Bond of the past and present. 23 Bond posters for your viewing pleasure. See, enjoy and keep it reel.

30 Trailer Challenge: Trailer 13.

Now I’ve let these trailers slide a little. Sorry about that. However, it’s back. A new trailer which I have been waiting for. Skyfall has arrived. From the looks of it yes, it has some typical Bond scenes but you have to expect that. But it also looks different. It looks like it will change things for Bond and for the franchise. Take a look for yourselves and let me know what you think. I must admit I’m exicted, very exited.

The names fall, Skyfall. The new poster for 007.

The hype that surrounds each and every new Bond film isn’t entirely surprising, despite the fact they normally turn out to be the same full throttle, action packed flick. Though some are worse than others. There is the pride of British film making within a Bond film, as well as an at least partly British cast with whoever happens to be playing James Bond as well as M. However this time around, the hype feels fair and right. Daniel Craig returns as Bond with Judi Dench once again playing M but this time there is a somewhat famous face behind the camera in the shape of Sam Mendes director of American Beauty and Road to Perdition. We also have Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris bringing their superb talents to the 007 screen. Whilst I hate to get bogged down in such extensive publicity for a film which w haven’t even seen a trailer for yet, it’s hard not to get excited by such talent! So have a look at the new poster, simple as it is, but undeniably classic Bond.