I rewatched Knives Out the day before seeing this. The scene when you find out exactly how Harlan Thrombey died is a freaking masterpiece. It's so well staged and funny and tender-hearted. In a story moving at a furious clip, it's a relief to slow down and let Ana de Armas and Christopher Plummer just ACT. The exhange gives the movie a beating human heart grounding all the zaniness and whodunit theatrics. And reader, I wept! Maybe cause Plummer's dead now but it's just so touching to watch him and movie-star rookie go toe-to-toe, like a peaceful exchange of cinematic power.

Rian Johnson talked about how there was no rehearsal time for the movie, but this was the one scene that they made sure they rehearsed the day before, just Christopher Plummer and Ana de Armas in Johnson's hotel room, going over the blocking and the emotional beats. It paid off like a gd slot machine because it's the best scene in the movie.

What Thrombey does for Marta is so nice! Making the central death in your murder mystery an extreme act of love and mercy is so freaking smart. In 11 minutes, you get their relationship, you get the stakes, you understand the characters, you love them both, and it makes the whole movie make sense!

There's no scene like that in Glass Onion and I wish there was. Three and a half stars!