8 Movies Like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: Winters are decidedly the best time to watch cozy murder mysteries, and so Rian Johnson’s second installment of the Knives Out mystery containing the ingenious detective Benoit Blanc played with élan by the very talented Daniel Craig, is the perfect winter watch. Three years after the release of the first film Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery has not lost the charm of its predecessor and has rightly awed the audience who are hungry for more of the same. This stylish and suave murder mystery has a vintage feel and feels like a homage to the golden age of mystery detective novels many of us have grown up reading. Therein lies its charm; it is definitely Agatha Christie-ish and spells cozy but with a modern twist.
Recommended: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Recap & Ending, Explained — Who’s The Killer?
So, if you have watched the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery are waiting for the next installment, which is yet to be announced. We sincerely hope they do a whole series of them, we are in need of a whodunnit fix, and we have a curated list of films that might make the separation pangs a little less intense. Here are 8 films that you would like if you enjoyed Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Knives Out (2019) Amazon Prime Video
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out, the first of what we hope many films that have detective Benoit Blanc solve mysteries and murders, is unquestionably a film that made whodunnits fashionable again. Those who love Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would love Daniel Craig’s first outing as Benoit Blanc solves the murder of Harlan Thrombey, a best-selling mystery novelist and a patriarch of a family that is uniquely dysfunctional.
The family is full of curious characters. They all have a motive, a son-in-law having an affair, a son who is a failure at business, a daughter-in-law stealing her daughter’s tuition money, an irreverent and the black sheep of the family’s grandson, and many more.
The film is a homage to the classic Agatha Christie whodunnit and has all its tropes; peculiar characters who all are suspects and have secrets, a sprawling gothic country mansion, a fortune involved, and most importantly, a brilliant but somewhat eccentric private investigator. The film is a modern twist on a classic cozy murder mystery; it is self-aware and meta in its approach, where classic tropes are introduced and subverted; above all, the film is immensely entertaining.
Murder Mystery (2019) Netflix
‘Murder Mystery’ is a 2019 comedy mystery film by Kyle Newacheck starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in lead roles. The film follows Nick, a police officer, and Audrey, a hair-dresser on a Europe trip to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary and inadvertently get caught in the middle of a whodunnit with the murder of billionaire Malcolm Quince on his yacht after his nephew invites them to a party on a yacht after a chance meeting on a plane to Europe. Those who liked Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would enjoy this light-hearted murder mystery as well.
Much like the Glass Onion, this film, too, is distinctly Agatha Christie with a long list of suspects with motives and happens on a yacht. The film, similar to the Knives Out series, plays with the audience’s familiarity with the genre and engages with the cliches; Aniston’s character takes excellent relish in recognizing the cliches that match the murder mystery with the ones she is so fond of reading. The two leads share an easy chemistry that is endearing, and the list of suspects is unique to keep the audience entertained.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
No list about the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would be complete without a couple of Agatha Christie’s adaptations, considering the films’ (and what we hope is a franchise) obvious post-modernist homage to the classic mystery writer’s work. Directed by Sidney Lumet, who was nominated for multiple Academy Awards for best director and was associated with acclaimed works like 12 angry Men (1957) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975), this film is based on the book by the grand dame of murder mystery of the same name is packed with performances by an ensemble cast of stars that seldom comes together, and that is probably the reason we recommend this one rather than other adaptations of this classic novel.
Albert Finney plays the famed Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot, and the film stars Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Rachel Roberts, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and many others. The film details the investigation of the murder of an American business tycoon that happens aboard the Orient Express, and everyone is a suspect; it is a classic closed-door mystery or, shall we say, running train mystery that would keep audiences guessing until the very last minute.
Those who love Benoit Blanc in the Glass Onion would enjoy this classic mystery film with Hercule Poirot’s sophisticated and, at the same time, amusing cross-examination of distinct characters to get to the heart of the mystery. You love a good and eccentric detective? Check; murders aboard a means of transport? Check; an all-star cast? Check; being thoroughly entertained? Check.
And Then There Were None (1945) Plex and YouTube
Here is another Christie adaptation on the list and quite possibly one of the best mystery books ever written, with a plot twist one never sees coming and a surprise ending that has made it the sixth best-selling book ever written. Directed by French filmmaker and writer René Clair the film details strange happenings and deaths in a mansion on a remote island where a mysterious host invites eight strangers.
As the guests sit down for dinner, they notice a centerpiece with figurines of ten Indians, and when a strange voice on the gramophone accuses them all along with the two servants of murder, the game is well and truly set. Soon the dead bodies start piling up, with each character having something of a past. The eerie similarity of the murders to a famous nursery rhyme adds more darkness to an already sinister atmosphere. If you loved The Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery, watch this classic murder mystery, for it is a brilliant whodunnit that would long keep you guessing.
The Thin Man (1934) Achieve.org
The Thin Man is a classic comedy mystery film directed by W. S. Van. Dyke starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. The film is based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett. The film became a huge success and launched a franchise with five sequels. This film follows a retired detective Nick Charles takes on the case of the disappearance of his former client Clyde upon the insistence of his socialite wife, Nora, who wants to see him in action, a simple disappearance case soon turns to murder after Clyde’s secretary is found dead, and he becomes the main suspect. What follows is a rip-roaring and, at the same time, intelligent whodunnit as Nick and Nora search for the killer and try to unravel the mystery.
Those who liked the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will undoubtedly enjoy this classic Hollywood comedy mystery film that has earned the honor of being added to the United States National Film Registry and has been deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” And was ranked 32 on the American Film Institute’s 2000 list AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs. The film matches the blend of comedy and mystery of the Knives Out films and should be on the watch list of all mystery and comedy fans for an entertaining time. The film comes highly recommended not just by us but also by master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and while you are at it, watch the sequels as well.
The Last of Sheila (1973)
The Last of Sheila is a whodunnit that follows a group of friends belonging to the film fraternity who are invited to spend a week on a yacht a year after the mysterious hit-and-run death of the wife, Sheila, who was a gossip columnist. Once aboard, all guests are supposed to play a parlor game that consists of them unraveling a mystery and hiding a secret. Soon that game turns dark and deadly as people start dying as the days pass and the boat anchors from one picturesque location to another.
The film is directed by Herbert Ross and boasts an impressive star cast containing Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Raquel Welch. Those who liked Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would undoubtedly enjoy this film as the director of the Knives Out films, Rian Johnson, himself has been a great fan of this classic 70’s whodunnit. With the blue Mediterranean waters, a luxury yacht, a group of friends with history, and a mysterious killer onboard, the last of Sheila has a lot in common with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and should be on the to-see list of those who liked the film.
Clue (1985)
Clue is a mystery black comedy film inspired by a board game of the same name. Directed by Jonathan Lynn, the film bombed at the box office at its initial release in 1985 but since then has garnered a cult fan following. The film has an ensemble star cast and follows six strangers invited to a secluded mansion for a dinner party; the guests received by a butler and a maid are given pseudonyms to maintain confidentiality. Later on, a seventh guest arrives who has been blackmailing the previous six of secrets they would rather keep under wraps. Each guest is given a weapon and told they have forty-five minutes before the police arrive. As the lights are turned off, there is the first murder in a series of murders.
The film has it all: eccentric guests, hidden secrets, a vintage feel, and three endings; what is not to like? Add to that rib-tickling humor and a genuinely excellent murder mystery, and you have a winning combination. The film is campy and ingenious in the right amounts to make it a genuinely entertaining watch. With brilliant performances by the cast and a screenplay that would keep you guessing, the film has rightly earned a cult following over the years. The humor and eccentric characters in this murder mystery would appeal to those who liked the Glass Onion; for anyone who loves a good whodunnit with a side of humor, this film should be on their to-watch list.
Gosford Park (2001)
Want Downton Abbey, like above stairs and the below-stairs world of aristocratic England but with a side of murder and humor, look no further; Gosford Park is just the film for you. Directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes of the Downton Abbey fame, this satirical black comedy mystery film was a critical and commercial success earning 7 Academy Award nominations. The film has a stellar ensemble star cast of actors like Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles Dance, and Stephen Fry, among many others.
The film takes place over a hunting weekend shooting party at the country estate of an English industrialist Sir William McCordle. The country estate is full of guests belonging to the upper class and a large battalion of housekeeping staff, including a butler, cook, valet, and so on. Soon, a silver knife goes missing, and Sir William is stabbed with it. Family secrets, lies, secret liaisons, snobbery, and deception all come to a head over the weekend at Gosford Park. This satirical murder mystery will appeal to those who liked the Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery for its intelligent use of humor, an ensemble of eccentric characters under one roof, and a novel murder mystery.
