The second movie in the double feature with my nephew last night was Wake Up Dead Man. I am a huge fan of this franchise and I think this installment is my favorite because, where Knives Out and Glass Onion are indictments against inherited wealth and celebrity culture, respectively, this one takes aim at the abuses often found in organized religion so it is much darker but also very moving because faith is proven to be more powerful. Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is a young and idealistic priest with a violent past who is sent to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in upstate New York as punishment for hitting a deacon. The small parish is led by the radicalized Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) who antagonizes all but a few eccentric members of his dwindling congregation, including the devout Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close) who assists him, the recovering alcoholic Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church) who works as groundskeeper, the bitter Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) who replaced her father as Wicks's lawyer, the failed right-wing politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack) who now espouses his rhetoric online, the conspiracy-obsessed best-selling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott) who is writing a book about Wicks, the local doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner) whose wife has recently left him, and the disabled cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) who is hoping (and paying) for a miracle from Wicks. Jud is determined to serve the congregation with love and mercy rather than fear and judgement which brings him into conflict with Wicks repeatedly so, when Wicks is stabbed to death in an alcove in the middle of the Good Friday service, he is the most obvious suspect. Police Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) eventually calls in Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to solve the seemingly impossible crime because everyone is revealed to have a motive but it appears that no one had the opportunity. There are lots of twists and turns and, as always, it subverts expectations multiple times. I especially loved the push and pull between reason personified by Blanc and faith represented by Jud because both are eventually needed to solve the mystery. Craig is as entertaining as ever and both Close and Brolin give standout performances from the ensemble but O'Connor is absolutely brilliant as a flawed character who ultimately embodies what is good about religion. Finally, I loved how the theme of good and evil is emphasized by the clever use of light and shadow in the cinematography. I loved this continuation of the series and I hope Rian Johnson continues making them!
Note: My only complaint is that the song "Wake Up Dead Man" by U2 is not used during the credits like the song "Glass Onion" by the Beatles is used in the previous movie.
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