"Knives Out: The Glass Bulb". Nearly Perfect Comedy with Daniel Craig and Edward Norton

On December 23, Netflix presented Knives Out: The Glass Onion, the second film in which Detective Benoit Blanc investigates the murders. Once again a great comedy.

director and screenwriter The film was made by Rian Johnson, the author of the first Knives Out. Daniel Craig is back in the lead role. This time he was joined by Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae and others.

Benoit Blanc travels to a private island to attend a party hosted by Miles Bron, owner of a tech empire. The detective plays a double game and tries to find out who wants to kill the businessman, but during the investigation he realizes that the target is another person. The invited guests are too dependent on Bron and cannot help Blanc, so the hero has to take extreme measures.

Takes the best from the first part

The film "Knives Out: The Glass Onion" retained all the best that was in the first part. confusing business, humor, endless suspicions and leads - all this is present. But Rian Johnson abandoned the dramatic elements. Thanks to this decision, the new heroes have become more cynical and bright.

As in the first part, Benoit Blanc finds himself in a situation where absolutely all participants in the events have a motive for murder and are suspects. As in the first part, Benoit Blanc is equally brilliant and comical.

But the sequel is designed in such a way that the main character is not always in the center of events. This allows you to reveal other characters, and they are great.

Reveals heroes

Miles Bron is a well-known businessman who sponsors not only scientific research, but also politicians, bloggers and show business stars. His ideas are as ambitious as possible, he is able to make decisions that are inaccessible even to heads of state. It is hardly a stretch to assume that the prototype of the character is Elon Musk (at least in terms of type and influence).

Being friends with him is too profitable to go against his decisions. But he himself is not a very smart person - rather a rich tyrant, for whom other people think and work. Bron is played by Edward Norton, a genius actor for megalomaniac characters who go ridiculously crazy.

People gather on the island, whom Bron sponsored for a long time. A blogger who fights for men's rights and sells a remedy for potency. A suburban housewife who wins election campaigns with a businessman's money. A fashion star who gets into scandals because of racist statements. Each character turned out to be bright, and the distribution of screen time allows them to open up.

Holds attention

From the very beginning of the film, it is obvious that a complex investigation will go wrong a hundred times - and this is not a problem at all.

A famously twisted plot in which the main suspect changes every five minutes cannot be called unpredictablebut it still holds attention. This is a merit not only of the scriptwriters (although primarily them), but of the entire film crew.

Much of the film was shot in the same room, but the constant change of angles allows the use of the enclosed space in different ways depending on the situation. In addition, the scenes are mounted in such a way that they simply do not have time to get bored. Technically, the film is almost flawless.

It seems that the timing for jokes is well chosen. Hook, joke, hook, joke, scene change - only at the climax does this construction change, for most of the film it works without a hitch.

There are literally a couple of moments in the plot that could be called dramatic, but they are so fast that they do not evoke emotions. And this is a great solution that literally protects comedy from superficial experiences.

Jokes too neat

Both parts of Knives Out make fun of the concept detective movie. So, the most valuable information can be obtained by accidentally eavesdropping on a conversation, and the characters constantly blurt out and give clues. This is not a novelty for comedy, but the trappings of the genre are still working - besides, the industry continues to produce films about brilliant detectives that look like a parody.

It is worth remembering that the first film "Knives Out" ridiculed "old America" ​​- with rich families and imitation of values. In the second part goes to the "new America" ​​- with its activism, cancellation culture and coronavirus restrictions. As you might guess, not all jokes remained relevant by the time the picture was released. So, the constant waving of masks at the beginning of the film looks strange.

The film also makes fun of the connection between business and celebrities. For example, Bron invests in Jeremy Renner's hot sauce, while guests at the mansion drink kombucha made by Jared Leto. This is not to mention the fact that Banksy built the pier for the businessman, and Philip Glass wrote the music for the clock.

At the same time, the whole film gives the impression that the satire is too faded. Mentioning celebrities in comical roles is a completely legitimate topic for humor, however, for example, in Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator, exactly the same technique was used much funnier. The connection between the businessman and the world of politics is often emphasized, but the characters do not say anything scandalous. The island on which the action takes place hints at jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, but they are not there either.

Due to the rejection of sensitive topics, it turns out that the film laughs a little at feminists, makes fun of celebrities a little and lightly scolds corrupt politicians, but overall the satire is too toothless.

Knives Out 2 is a great movie for an evening that knows how to entertain. You shouldn't expect anything serious from him. It is simple, but made with the highest quality.