In 2019, Rian Johnson treated cinema audiences to Knives Out, a murder mystery starring Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the world's greatest detective. The movie was a huge success, nabbing a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards. This prompted Netflix to pay millions of dollars in order to secure the rights to two sequels.
The first of those sequels, Glass Onion, was recently released on the streaming platform. Craig returns as Detective Blanc, alongside an all-new ensemble cast of potential murderers, who are just as lovably hate-able as the previous movie's. However, the very best Knives Out characters find ways to stand out from their peers.
10 Peg
Poor, poor Peg. Jessica Henwick appears in Glass Onion as the often-ignored assistant of Kate Hudson's extravagant Birdie Jay. Thanks to Birdie's carelessness with words and controversial opinions, Peg is often left doing damage control for her boss. This creates a hilarious love-hate relationship between the two throughout the movie.
Despite Peg's lack of prominence in Glass Onion, one of the funniest quotes in the movie belongs to her. After discovering Birdie has a secret phone, Peg's reaction to Birdie's admission of knowledge regarding a Bangladesh sweatshop for her designer sweatpants makes Peg one of the best -- and most relatable -- visitors on Miles' private island.
9 Linda Drysdale
Jamie Lee Curtis is a certified scene-stealer in the first Knives Out movie as Linda Drysdale, the oldest daughter of slain mystery writer Harlan Thrombey. It's hard to hate Linda, given her forwardness and brute demeanor towards the other, more easily hateable characters. Nevertheless, she proves to be quite the adversary to the movie's heroes.
Although Linda carries herself with poise and class, it's her discovery that she's been cut out of Harlan's will that unravels her. Curtis does an outstanding job portraying Linda's outrage, but it's particularly effective when Linda's harshest moments are saved off-screen, such as when her husband ends up with a noticeable black eye during the final scene.
8 Walt Thrombey
Harlan Thrombey's youngest child, Walt, is played by Michael Shannon. Walt is one of the more interesting members of the Thrombey family, due to his control over Harlan's publishing company. However, Walt becomes an early suspect in Harlan's murder investigation after Benoit Blanc discovers that he was fired mere hours before his father turned up dead.
Walt eventually develops into an increasingly tough-to-place character on the spectrum of good to evil. He seems to threaten Marta with leaking her mother's immigration status if she doesn't renounce Harlan's inheritance, but this plan backfires. Michael Shannon does an excellent job balancing Walt's dramatic intimidation with his comedic awkwardness.
7 Birdie Jay
Birdie Jay is seemingly the role Kate Hudson was born to play. The character is a washed-up model whose career pivot into fashion design puts her back at the top. While most of her troubles are placed on the shoulders of her assistant Peg, Birdie spends her time partying and desperate to tweet what's on her mind, even during a global pandemic.
Nevertheless, the role is simply a vehicle for Kate Hudson to completely steal the show in Glass Onion. Her ignorance and political incorrectness are often humorous cherries on top of already great scenes. Her interactions with Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc are also highlights, as she revels in flirting with him and playing into the mystery he investigates.
6 Harlan Thrombey
Although he is found dead during the first scene of Knives Out, viewers learn a lot about the deceased murder mystery novel author throughout the movie. Particularly, viewers get the most unfiltered truth about Harlan through the eyes of his nurse, Marta Cabrera. Not only was she his caretaker, but also his best friend and closest companion.
The interactions between Harlan and Marta are as humorous as they are heartbreaking, thanks to the chemistry between the late Christopher Plummer and Ana de Armas. In a house filled with detestable characters and rich snobs, Harlan's intelligence and empathy for Marta are a breath of fresh air, making his death a true tragedy.
5 Hugh Ransom Drysdale
The role of Ransom is a far cry for Chris Evans, who starred in Knives Out shortly after concluding a decade-long run as Captain America in the MCU. Unlike the noble and heroic Steve Rogers, Ransom is arrogant, conniving, and passive-aggressive, especially towards his family, which makes him an unlikely ally of Marta during Knives Out.
However, his partnership with Marta ends up being just another weapon in this game. As Benoit Blanc deduces, Ransom was responsible for Harlan's death by switching his meds, while also killing housekeeper Fran to cover his tracks and pin it all on Marta in a play to reverse the inheritance. Nevertheless, Ransom is a fun villain to watch let loose.
4 Miles Bron
When it comes to villains in the Knives Out franchise, Edward Norton's Miles Bron is not half as charismatic or clever as Evans' Ransom. However, the mythology surrounding his character does most of the work for him, making the tech billionaire seem like a complicated genius only understood by his closest circle of "disruptors."
However, as Benoit Blanc realizes by the end of Glass Onion, Miles is neither complicated nor a genius. Like the Glass Onion itself, it's plain and simple that Miles is an idiot who just has the resources at his disposal to control his friends. Despite his idiocy, it's marvelous to watch Norton nail the all-too-familiar archetype of a buffoon with no original ideas.
3 Benoit Blanc
Few actors have been able to shift from one successful franchise to another quite like Daniel Craig. Hopefully, in a few years, audiences will have forgotten the actor's stint as James Bond and instead remember him as the bumbling-yet-brilliant Benoit Blanc. The combination of his Southern drawl and flair for fashion already makes him iconic.
Despite neither Knives Out nor Glass Onion truly being about Blanc as much as they are his underdog confidantes, Craig's character is the driving force behind both movies. With every new detail, audiences grow closer and closer to the detective and bask in the thrill of seeing him walk away from a group of rich idiots having cracked the case to its logical and truthful end.
2 Helen Brand
Janelle Monáe does double duty in Glass Onion as Cassandra Brand and her twin sister Helen. Audiences spend most of the movie watching Monáe as Andi, the ousted partner of Miles Bron's company Alpha. Halfway through the movie though, it's revealed that this is actually Helen, who has partnered with Benoit Blanc to investigate her sister's suspicious suicide.
While she does an outstanding job as Cassandra, it's Monáe's portrayal of the awkward Alabaman Helen that really makes her performance shine. Though Helen puts on an act for the other island visitors, her rage towards them for betraying her sister comes through. The movie's grand, glass-smashing finale gives her even more of an opportunity to stand out.
1 Marta Cabrera
Marta is easily the most fascinating character across both Knives Out movies, all thanks to Rian Johnson's writing. Harlan's nurse and caretaker, played by Ana de Armas, is the audience's POV throughout the movie, covering up her tracks as Blanc investigates the Thrombey estate, even though her supposed murder of Harlan was an accident.
The ending of Knives Out is satisfying not just because Benoit Blanc solved a mystery. It's satisfying because viewers get to see Marta receive what she's owed for being a true friend to Harlan, with the knowledge that her life will be easier from now on. Though Blanc points out that she has a kind heart, it's her resolve and passion for justice that make her the best character in Knives Out.