I loved Knives Out, and I really liked Glass Onion. Wake Up Dead Man is the third in this series, and I’ve already watched it twice.

I wish I caught it during its brief time in theaters, but my system at home is fine.

Spoilers will be below, with an appropriate warning. If you haven’t seen it yet and you’re looking for encouragement, here it is! Rian Johnson once again wrote a wonderfully intricate story, then invited incredible actors to do what they do best. It’s well shot, well executed, and economical in its storytelling.

Glenn Close, Daniel Craig, and Josh Brolin give amazing performances, as you might expect. The stand out for me is Josh O’Connor, though. I don’t remember seeing him in anything else before this, but he absolutely knocked this role out of the park. The whole movie comfortably rests on his shoulders.

The rest of the supporting cast are excellent, too. I really like Jeremy Renner and Andrew Scott, so I was excited to see them in this movie.

I think that’s all I can say without spoilers. How do I rank it against the other Knives Out movies? That’s a tough question, since I like them all. I think I like this one better than Glass Onion. The first might still be my favorite, but it’s close.

Watch this movie. If you’ve already seen it, watch it again.

Spoiler Section

I mentioned “economical storytelling” in the first section. Let’s start this with a specific example.

Our introduction to the groundskeeper, Sampson, gives us about two sentences. One, he’s a recovering alcoholic that looks to Wicks for the strength to keep him out of the bottle. Two, he would do anything for Martha.

All of the introductions are like this. There is no fat on these scenes, but they feel light and natural. That kind of writing and storytelling is both powerful and succinct, and pulling it off at this level is the work of a master.

Like I said, I’ve watched this twice already, and the second watch is even better than the first. I found myself leaning forward, watching for things I missed the first time. This is one of those movies where knowing how everything unfolds doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of watching it, because the movie plays fair.

Now I want to focus on the character of Father Jud. Your enjoyment of this movie may be dependent on how handle the depiction of a man of faith. For me, this is one of my favorite types of characters. An imperfect man, sustained by his faith, trying to do good when the world is trying to convince him to do something else. I didn’t find it preachy, though I can see how some might.

The climax of this movie hangs on forgiveness, which as I’ve said in another post, I believe the world needs.

The whole movie tilts and balances on the goodness of our protagonist in Father Jud. It’s not unlike the first movie, really. Marta is a good person that thinks she’s done something terrible, but it’s her goodness and her dedication to doing the right thing that keeps her from actually screwing up. So it is with Father Jud.

After Thoughts

We’re living through dark times. This last weekend, we had more mass shootings, and Rob Reiner and his wife were murdered in their home, presumably by their son. Dark, and terrible times.

Movies like this and Knives Out are balms. We need to see good people going through hard times and coming out on top so that maybe we can see ourselves in these movies and find hope that we, too, will get through to the other side and be okay.

Also, this is the holiday season. This time of year can be pretty tough. If you’re going through it the way I am, I encourage you to get into a good story. Watch the Knives Out movies, including this last one. Watch KPop Demon Hunters again. You could even read one of my stories, if you’re feeling generous.

I probably have one or two more posts left in me for 2025, but if not, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.