Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Murder Mystery 2Murder Mystery 2 took inspiration from another action movie to hide its big twist. Murder Mystery 2 is a Netflix original and the sequel to Murder Mystery. Starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, this action-packed thriller has received poor reviews from critics but has nonetheless landed a spot in Netflix's top 10 movies in the United States. The somewhat negative critical reception can perhaps be explained by some arguably derivative elements of Murder Mystery 2's story. However, one surprising Murder Mystery 2 twist is actually helped by its relationship to another franchise.
Murder Mystery 2 once again follows Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) Spitz, this time in an attempt to solve the kidnapping of their friend, Vikram (Adeel Akhtar), or The Maharajah. The Spitzs, now working as private detectives, travel to Vikram's island for his wedding where he is kidnapped. A group of elite detectives led by Connor Miller (Mark Strong) arrives shortly after, and Miller quickly takes over the lead on the case. After the case takes them to Paris, Miller is apparently killed when his car explodes, however, the movie's big twist comes when it's revealed that Miller faked his death, and is really working with the kidnappers. While this development seems shocking, it's actually informed by another major action series.
Murder Mystery 2's Kidnapper Twist Is Helped By The Kingsman Series
Murder Mystery 2's twist with Miller is helped by the Mark Strong's similar fate in The Kingsman series. Strong's character in The Kingsman, Merlin, luckily survives an assault on The Kingsman headquarters after being deemed "mere staff" by their attackers. He is later killed by a land mine in The Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
This fate is markedly similar to agent Miller's "death" in Murder Mystery 2. Unlike Miller in Murder Mystery 2, however, Merlin does not survive the explosion, despite the alternate Kingsman fate Merlin almost had. Nevertheless, the fact that both Mark Strong characters have similar explosion plots makes Murder Mystery 2's twist more effective, since some audience may expect Strong's character to die as he did in Kingsman.
How Murder Mystery 2's Miller Is Like Mark Strong's Kingsman Character
Murder Mystery 2's Miller is extremely similar to Mark Strong's Merlin in The Kingsman. Merlin, like Miller, is a strong and capable military-style operative. Both characters are extremely savvy and physically imposing. They both excel in hand-to-hand combat, and have keen minds for solving mysteries. They also both have a sense of wisdom or mystique to their characters that gives them both a strong presence on the screen.
Miller and Merlin also have some key differences, however. For one, Miller is an antagonist where Merlin is a protagonist. Merlin is also extremely selfless, evidenced by the sacrifice of his life to save Eggsy. Miller on the other hand is selfish, seeking nothing but wealth. Still, these characters are both hard-nosed spies that nobody would want to mess around with. Mark Strong seems to have found his niche in the acting world, and it has led him to play nearly identical roles in Murder Mystery 2 and The Kingsman – the similarities of which make his later Murder Mystery 2 role even more interesting.
