“Glass Onion” is a movie treat. It has a nice cast that combines superclever dialogue with a mysterious plot where nothing is as it seems. Brings forward Daniel Craig, one of cinema’s most charismatic stars. It’s the perfect type of experience to share in a darkened room and share the surprises with an equally entertained audience.
For one of those unfathomable mysteries of life well, the entertainment industry this sequel to Between Knives and Secrets went straight through theaters and straight to streaming platforms. Well, actually there’s no drama beyond the obvious: Netflix footed the bill, the film turned fun for the comfort of the living room sofa.
Which, for lack of a better word, is a sin. Other films signed by the streaming giant, such as “Pinocchio” and “Bardo” recently, also had chances of a cinema career. Glass Onion was released in US theaters in a light version, presumably to comply with yearend awards season rules, and soon took its place on television.
The irony is that Glass Onion is just the right film to spark audiences returning to the cinema. In this Covid pandemic hangover, large intellectual property rights have sustained the market’s livelihood. The downside is that it creates a funnel: if you’re not interested in superhero or horror films, or in continuing an established production, you’re left with no options.
So the original cinema needs that respite. There is no shortage of evidence, such as the unexpected, but not huge, success of Everything in Everywhere at the Same Time. It’s not that US exhibitors didn’t ask for “Glass Onion” to have life beyond its intended run. However, Netflix stepped on the gas and went through with its plan.
Still, the film made a respectable $15 million in just 600 theaters during Thanksgiving week and after the second Black Panther. By way of comparison, Disney’s animated film “Mundo Estranho” grossed around 18 million US dollars in the same period, with the catch that it occupied more than 4,000 screens. The question that continues to plague us is “What if?”.
The excitement about “Glass Onion” is not unfounded. Director and screenwriter Rian Johnson, perhaps inspired by stories starring Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, built another fun and engaging mystery here. It’s the same formula he used in Knives Out: a murder, a truckload of suspects, and Benoit Blanc’s deductive ability to solve the mystery.
Blanc is, of course, Daniel Craig’s alter ego. The actor shed the dangerous sophistication of James Bond and made the detective an equally emblematic character with his gentle manners and enigmatic Southern accent. It’s clear Craig is enjoying himself, and his enthusiasm rubs off on his costars.
The gang here is just as perceptive, with Edward Norton at the helm of a mystery involving Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn and the sensational Janelle Monáe. The plot brings them together on the private island of the billionaire defended by Norton, who gathers his friends over a weekend to solve the mystery of his own murder. An act, of course, that soon escalates into a very real crime.
It doesn’t take long for Rian Johnson to uncover the layers of his story like… well, like an onion: A “glass onion” is at the heart of the whole movement. The director enjoys overlapping plots, uncovering details that were right in front of us all along, and pulling the rug out from under our feet to deliver an explosive conclusion. In the middle, he finds space for Magnolia references, turns Jared Leto and Jeremy Renner into startup founders, and even lands tips for Ethan Hawke and Hugh Grant.
“Glass Onion” would make a perfect film session if only the audience’s “ohhs” and “ahhs” came out of it. But you can’t blame Johnson for choosing to partner with Netflix like fellow professionals like Martin Scorsese and David Fincher. In addition to creative freedom and the lack of pressure to generate results at the box office, the platform opened its wallet without hesitation.
Netflix bought the rights to two sequels to Between Knives and Secrets in 2021, making two conditions: that the new films have a similar budget to the 2019 original around $40 million and that Daniel Craig was in the package. As part of the deal, Craig, Johnson and producer Ram Bergman each pocketed around $100 million.
It is therefore easy for viewers to complain about the absence of “Glass Onion” in the cinema. Creating original films is nearly impossible in newcentury Hollywood, and filmmakers must seize every opportunity to realize their artistic vision with a partner they can work with in peace.
The hope is that we still have at least one Benoit Blanc adventure ahead of us. Will the stars align and the third Knives Out land on the big screen? There’s no harm in dreaming. On the other hand, I would wait sitting on the floor of the wagon preferably on the sofa in the living room.