The 'Knockout' movie reshaped modern detective fiction

With "Glass Onion," the "Wild Action" series has solidified its status as a new generation of modern suspenseful detectives.

With The Glass Onion: Knockout Mystery now streaming on Netflix, garnering the same well-deserved praise as its predecessor, Knockout, it's clear that director Rian Johnson has set his sights on creating the modern suspense detective story. The awesome formula is patented. With the sequel soaring to the top of the streaming service's movie charts, we can safely make such a bold statement. Combining an ethnically diverse cast, state-of-the-art props and sets, and associated social media awareness, Johnson illustrates how he is more aware of today's zeitgeist and how it fits into current cultural trends. Benoit Blanc isn't your father's super-sleuth, and he's certainly not Scotland Yard's Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot solving mysteries involving old money and family fortunes on trains and ocean liners. Not that we have anything against said detectives, and frankly, they're not as cool as Daniel Craig's eccentric, Cajun, crime-solving experts.

Culturally Aware and Diverse Casts

Among the five so-called "spoilers" who received invitations to the lush Greek islands were a mix of several different races with diverse cultures. Johnson included African-Americans, Filipinos, Europeans and Asians. Similar to the original, which features Ana With de Armas and LaKeith Stanfield in the lead roles, each character represents a section of American society that nearly every viewer will be able to relate to in some way. Janelle Monae stars as black twin sister Cassandra (Andi)/Helen Brand, a brilliant scientist who is unceremoniously kicked to the curb after her invention is stolen and turned into a fortune. Filipino-American actor Dave Bautista is back in a huge movie as radical far-right social media influencer Duke Cody who loves guns and Harleys . Not to be outdone, Singaporean-Chinese actress Jessica Henwick stands out as the frivolous, "eliminated" former fashion model's assistant in a role that could have been much bigger.

Cool Set Pieces and Props

The way the Disrupters are invited to Miles Bron's (Edward Norton) annual bash is the first sign that the film will "go all out", down to the smallest set props. A transformable, riddle-filled box containing invitations keeps the ball rolling with cool baubles. While the first Knock Out used a sprawling English manor with hidden passages as the backdrop, when the guests arrive at Miles Bron's On the Mediterranean coast of Glass Onion, they come across a stunning palatial mansion that looks more like Disney's Epcot Center, with giant, gleaming onion-shaped spheres perched atop a tiered hilltop with Lined with various manicured paths and sparkling pools. Right away, you'll be captivated by this exotic, futuristic set design filled with something extraordinary.

The main living area in the luxurious Bloom estate is filled with ornate glass sculptures and sleek, modern furniture to the point of excess. His remote-activated bulletproof box, which holds the real Da Vinci Mona Lisa, is so cool that you get the feeling that Johnson's murder-mystery stakes are going to be top-notch, and absolutely no expense has been spared. It's all designed to heighten the tension of the mystery that's about to be unraveled.

Rian Johnson Is Hip to Current Social Media Trends

Of course, everyone in the cast is equipped with a cell phone, which is part of the 21st century lifestyle that was part of the first film, but Johnson's use of social media in the sequel raises the bar considerably. He compares this aspect of the new technology with Advances the storyline with great aplomb and makes it a key plot device. Bautista's Duke Cody is a YouTube-like social media influencer whose storyline involves his desire to further his career in multimedia. Kate Hudson stars as Birdie Jay, a culturally insensitive social media user who isn't allowed to post unsupervised online because she's suffering backlash from our movement toward cancel culture, While other actors were forced to deal with constant pings to their own devices that couldn't be separated for more than five minutes. Every character in the film is in some way influenced or even compromised by the ubiquitous social media footprint of modern society.

New Money, Not Old

Miles Bron's character is not so subtle a copy of Elon Musk, as his large multi-platform company Alpha is very similar to Musk's Tesla product. You can easily make the case that Johnson is taking a shot at Musk by portraying Bloom as an untalented hacker who steals other people's ideas and has been using unfulfilled promises and Pollyanna technology to create dozens million-dollar wealth and international reputation. Whatever Johnson's intentions were, it was much more than that Fits the type of business tycoon who would live in such a location and host such an event. It's the new tech money and riches used in previous ensemble detectives that separate The Glass Onion from the murder mysteries that came before it. The updated genre no longer has the old guard of shipping magnates or steel industry magnates in the main role of suspect. The fact that Miles Bron uses a fax machine as his only means of communication on the entire island is such a good irony and irony that the audience won't forget it.

More 'Knives Out' in the Future

So what can we expect from Johnson's future? It is clear that he will continue to align with the evolving cultural zeitgeist. We already know that two more Wilderness films are planned. Netflix also paid more than rivals Amazon and Apple to premiere rights to a third installment, and while details about the cast and potential plot are still being developed, we think it's a safe bet that Rian Johnson will do the necessary due diligence. assumptions and stay ahead of the latest trends whatever they are. We look forward to seeing the mystery at the foot of the great Benoit Blanc move forward.