"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is the sequel to the 2019 mystery film "Knives Out". Once again written and directed by Rian Johnson ("Looper", "The Brothers Bloom", "Brick") and starring Daniel Craig in the lead role, it provides an exciting, often humorous murder mystery that even the most casual viewer can enjoy.

In May 2020, tech billionaire CEO Miles Bron (Edward Norton) sends out invitations to five of his friends for a murder mystery he intends to host at the "Glass Onion", his own private mansion located on an isolated Greek island. Bron's friends include his head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), former supermodel Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), gaming streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), and Bron's former co-CEO Cassandra "Andi" Brand (Janelle Monáe). Unbeknownst to Bron, the renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has also received an invitation and arrives along with the rest of the group at the Glass Onion. A short time later, Blanc learns that things are not going according to what Bron had planned and readies his detective skills to solve yet another complex mystery.

One of the most surprisingly enjoyable films of 2019 was "Knives Out", a murder mystery that felt like a love letter to all the classic Agatha Christie whodunits of several decades past. From its fantastic ensemble cast to its tongue-in-cheek screenplay, Rian Johnson was able to hit all the right notes for how fun it can be to figure out the murderer for the full duration of a feature length film. Of course, I think the real standout would have to be Daniel Craig's portrayal of Benoit Blanc, a southern US private investigator clearly influenced by Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot. Three years later, Blanc's character returns in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery", a follow-up that contains just as many of the quirks and oddities that made its predecessor the hit we remember so fondly.

Like the first film, this one is presented to us structured as a typical whodunit, complete with an intriguing set-up and important clues sprinkled throughout the story. But where's the fun in solving a mystery if there aren't any red herrings to distract us from the big picture? Without divulging too much, there are some clever scenes near the beginning that have been inserted to throw the audience off the trail, one in particular actually made me laugh out loud at how obvious it was. This is used to set the stage for the real mystery at hand, one that runs deeper than the layers of an onion - a "glass onion" if you will. The sooner we realise the complexities of what is truly at stake here, the more rewarding the film becomes once we solve the puzzle at the conclusion. Pay attention to everything little thing you see and hear, because you never know what significance it may have in the end.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the original movie was its clever script and production design, both of which return here in the sequel. By weaving the audience along with some witty dialogue and funny situations, Rian Johnson is able to set things up for us in a more entertaining way than what could have otherwise been boring exposition. Most whodunits take on a downbeat tone, which makes sense considering most of them are about death, but Johnson is able to correctly balance the severity of a murder with light-hearted comedy in a way that works greatly in the film's favour. There's a certain amusement factor to appreciate in how each of the characters contemplate what role they all play in this conundrum, something that helps move the film along at a reasonable pace. Additionally, Johnson also factors the surrounding environment into his story. Bron's mansion itself resembles a metaphorical glass onion, with layers upon layers of him flexing his material possessions with a personal motivation behind everything at its very core. And like anything that is made of glass, we soon get see from the outside what truly lies inside of Bron's true intentions.

In what is easily his best recurring film role since a certain 00 agent, Daniel Craig plays into Benoit Blanc's character with such ease that you can tell he's enjoying every moment he is on screen. This time, Johnson has given Blanc more back story to flesh out his character, likely as a means to separate any comparisons to Hercule Poirot. Through Craig's performance, we learn about Blanc's personality quirks like his opinions on mystery solving games and why he likes what he does as a career. Because of this, Blanc feels less like an enigmatic figure who appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the previous film and more like an actual person who has worked hard to build himself up a reputation as one of the world's greatest detectives.

All of the supporting cast members were used well too, with none of them going to waste. It's hard for me to discuss them in great detail without giving away spoilers so I will instead mention one brief thing about each their characters that I liked most. Edward Norton is fun to watch as Miles Bron, who is essentially a caricature of all those tech-savvy billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Gates. Leslie Odom Jr. Is a great straight man as Lionel, especially with some of the crazy things happening around him. Kathryn Hahn is quite convincing playing Claire, the governor of Connecticut whose reputation is on the line visiting Bron. Kate Hudson is appropriately brash and unapologetic as Birdie, a former supermodel who often types before she thinks. Dave Bautista has some funny moments as Duke, a Twitch streamer whose tough guy image is challenged by all the events taking place. And rounding off this cast is Janelle Monáe as Andi, Bron's former business associate whose decision to accept his invitation puts her at conflicting odds with the rest of the group.

Even if you aren't a big fan of whodunits, "Glass Onion", like its predecessor, functions just fine on its own as a solid, entertaining romp thanks to its interesting supporting cast and amusing script. It seems like Rian Johnson has gone to great lengths to craft both this film and the one before it in such a way that you don't even need to be fully versed in mystery solving to have a good time, though it does help. According to some research, a third film is currently in development with Daniel Craig reprising his role as Benoit Blanc and Johnson again writing and directing. With a winning combination like that, I can definitely see the potential in this becoming a popular mystery film franchise.

I rate it 8.5/10.