REVIEW: ‘Glass Onion’ peels away layers of intrigue and fun

When you see a room full of glass sculpture, you know something is going to break before the visit is up.

And, sure enough, that happens in “Glass Onion – A Knives Out Mystery,” another Rian Johnson treat that smashes more than a glass ceiling.

Much more transpires, though, before those totems start falling.

For starters, there’s a rich Elon Musk-like billionaire who has invited old friends to his hilltop mansion to have fun, renew old acquaintances and play a murder mystery game in which he’s the victim.

Among the invitees – or disrupters, as he likes to call them – is Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monae), his former business partner who had a big hand in making him rich. Her presence shocks the others because she hasn’t been dependent on him for her success. The others have.

When the game begins, it’s anyone’s guess who could be the one wanting the host dead.

Naturally, there’s a place for Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the sly Southern detective from “Knives Out” who picks up clues better than a Roomba.

As the others enjoy the lavish lifestyle (including several hangers-on who aren’t part of the original crew), Blanc cases the joint and discovers plenty about the relationship that went sour. When he reveals the cards – and the motives – “Glass Onion” bears a second viewing, just to see if the clues were that obvious.

Monae, meanwhile, delivers a sharp, memorable performance as his biggest ally, agreeing to turn a table or two just to get a reaction. When Johnson flashes back to their past, it’s clear the fashion mogul (Kate Hudson), the politician (Kathryn Hahn) and the influencer (Dave Bautista) couldn’t have made it without a benefactor.

When the plan goes awry, Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has to figure out how he can emerge unscathed, just as he has in countless other scandals.

Johnson stuffs the Glass Onion (a name for the mansion’s orb-like room) with all kinds of art, including the Mona Lisa which, we learn, can be borrowed if you’re rich enough. She’s behind glass, too, presumably to keep the others from executing a heist.

Johnson gives all of the guests (including a scientist, played by Leslie Odom Jr.) great lines and a sly sense of who they – and Bron – really are.

Naturally, this has “Murder On the Orient Express”-like group scenes where guilty emotions can play out. But some of the fun happens around the pool where Hudson realizes she may not be the “pretty” one anymore.

Guilt hangs like a chandelier. The more we learn about the participants, the more we find motives. When an unplanned event occurs, the house is thrown into flux and Blanc is forced to play a few tricks of his own.

Shot like an old-school thriller, “Glass Onion” immediately pulls you in and never lets go until the last object d’art is smashed.

Bron learns plenty about himself in the process and realizes the ruse he was pulling on others hadn’t disappeared.

Blanc – one of those Columbo-like investigators – plays into his host’s ego completely.

When he has Brand’s back, this has the potential to go in many directions. Luckily, it stays the course and entertains like few films today. It’s so good Blanc needs to make a screen appearance every year. If he’s got Brand in tow, so much the better.

Craig and Monae are a super team. “Glass Onion,” meanwhile, is a dandy film – one of the year’s most entertaining.