Whodunnit Mysteries Have Set High Standards for Glass Onion

**CONTENT WARNING: Spoilers

Glass Onion claims to be a "whodunnit"; a genre of mystery that has seen a significant revival in the past few years. The 2022 film follows Detective Benoit Blanc on tech billionaire Miles Bron's private island, investigating the murders of 1) Miles' ex-business-partner Andi (died after she found proof that Miles stole her idea for his company), 2) Twitch-streamer Duke (poisoned drink), and 3) Andi's twin sister, Helen (shot, but didn't die). The premise seems promising, but can it live up to the standards Agatha Christie has set? In this article, I'll attempt to analyze how the movie utilizes classic mystery techniques, and if they were successful.

Symbolism:

Rating: 5/10

The glass onion analogy in of itself is an interesting concept: While an onion appears to have many complex leaves concealing its core, because it's made of glass, we can see right through these layers. This idea is nicely reflected in the story; the puzzle box Miles sends his friends to invite them to the island seems to be an intricate machine, but Helen smashes right through it to retrieve the envelope in the center. She is the only one who sees Miles' stupidity and is not deceived by his act to hide it.

Unfortunately, to convey this message, the film made the culprit painstakingly obvious. Think about it logically: Andi's note, proving Miles did not come up with the idea for his company, incriminates Miles far more than any other suspect. It felt like Blanc and Helen's investigation was pointless and their answer was right in front of them—something even the audience could see from the beginning. While this did enforce the glass onion analogy, it did not make for a particularly clever mystery or solution.

Flashbacks:

Rating: 6/10

Rian Johnson, director of Glass Onion, uses each flashback as an opportunity to reveal something viewers hadn't seen or known before. The concept is interesting at times, such as the discrepancies of whether Miles handed Duke the poisoned drink or not, but the flashback rewinding the entire first half of the film felt a little odd. No time was passing, so it seemed like we were stuck in one point in time without any plot movement.

Plot twists:

Rating: 5/10

I think the reveal that Helen was posing as Andi was unique and worked as a shock factor. However, both the fact that Andi has a twin and that Helen's notebook stopped the bullet are simply convenient plot devices. Because the film was hiding key information (e.g. the fact that Helen did not die) from the audience, it felt like it was cheating to pull twists. Unfortunately, the reveal (the biggest twist of the movie) was also predictable.

Suspense:

Rating: 3/10

There was no indication of any mystery until almost halfway through the movie. Perhaps knowing Andi died earlier on would have allowed viewers to be more invested in the story. Without knowing the first few scenes on the island are part of Blanc and Helen's investigation, they simply came off as exposition that seemed quite different than the murder mystery the film was marketed as. Even so, when Andi's death is revealed, the flashback felt more like information dumping; these things had already happened, and we already had a sense of how they played out.

Foreshadowing:

Rating: 8/10

I thought this one was really clever. Earlier in the film, Miles gives his friends business advice: "If you want to shake things up, you start with something small…Everybody gets excited because you're busting up something that everyone wanted broken in the first place." Later, when Helen shatters all of Miles' glass sculptures, his friends join in because "everyone wanted [these] broken in the first place." Everyone wanted Miles' reputation broken, they were just too afraid to do so. It's a great message of challenging the norms and foreshadowed in a subtle, yet clever way.

(Bonus) Game-like structure:

Rating: 4/10

What makes a murder mystery enjoyable? Perhaps the fact that it's a game for the audience; a challenge to gather the clues and discover the culprit before the detective does. Glass Onion attempts to play into this idea, incorporating elements that reference the popular murder mystery game Clue: Detective Blanc and Helen search each suspect's room and mark off motives and opportunities for killing Andi, like players do in the game.

However, this almost feels like an empty promise, because my biggest criticism of this film is that viewers almost don't have the opportunity to decipher anything (especially compared to Knives Out, which starts after the murder has already occurred). After Duke's murder there was no questioning, no investigation. Blanc immediately solving the mystery after Helen was shot left no time to see him gather hints. With this, the movie becomes less of a game, and more of an explanation.

Conclusion:

Overall Rating: 7/10

There are clever elements and themes that make this movie worthwhile, but the dramatized, high-tech, and excessively wealthy ambiance makes it less of an Agatha Christie story and more comparable to a reality TV show.  However, it is interesting that the solving of the mystery is not the end of the movie, but that just proves how Glass Onion might not really be a mystery (hence why these techniques aren't the sole criteria to judge it on). Mystery aside, one can take away a message of undeserved money and how the system of attaining wealth is corrupt. If you go into this film with a less "whodunnit" mindset, I think you could find it enjoyable.

by KATIE LIN