Knives Out vs Glass Onion – Face Off

Which of Rian Johnson’s whodunit thrillers is better, Knives Out or it’s sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Last Updated on February 8, 2023

While Rian Johnson made his feature directorial debut with the criminally underrated Brick, it wouldn’t be until 2019’s Knives Out that the filmmaker would really get the chance to fully play around in the murder mystery genre with a proper budget. Anchored by Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, the film was a massive success with both critics and audiences, grossing over $300 million worldwide on a $40 million budget as well as earning an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay.

Obviously, a sequel was a no-brainer with the follow-up, Glass Onion, transporting us from chilly New England to sunny Greece. Daniel Craig returns as the famous sleuth, but a whole new line-up of suspects joins him on this whodunit. Like its predecessor, the film also received critical acclaim for its direction, screenplay, performances, and musical score. It’s also notable for receiving the widest theatrical release ever for a Netflix film in the US & Canada and grossing an estimated $15 million at the box office.

Since Rian Johnson is hard at work cracking the case for the next instalment, now’s an opportune time to examine these two mysteries side by side. So which film will be our prime suspect in this investigation? And be warned, there will be spoilers! It’s time for… FACE OFF!

This episode of FACE-OFF was written and edited by Matthew Hacunda, narrated by Shawn Knippelberg and produced by Adam Walton and Chris Bumbray, while Berge Garabedian is executive producer.

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.