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Knives Out 3 does something strange

My Little Thought Tree

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Knives Out 3 Wake Up Dead Man is out and it's very strange. On the one hand, a fatal flaw damages the story whilst also underpinning what's most thematically powerful about this movie. This analysis video essay breaksdown what works, what doesn't, and what the meaning is of Rian Johnson's latest benoit blanc knives out mystery.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:56 Space
04:45 Lee Ross
06:27 Theme
12:06 Grace
15:27 Answers

MUSIC
Karamel Kel - Poetic Symphony
Calme - Ever So Blue
Alien Cake Music - Dreams (The Cranberries lofi)
Alien Cake Music x Tedi Mercury x EarthTing - Losing My Religion (R.E.M lofi)
Safiyllin - Lacrimosa (Mozart piano cover)
Scott Buckley - She Moved Mountains
David Celeste - Shrines
William Benckert - Lonely Starfall
Alan Ellis - Sea Terms

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#knivesout #rianjohnson #analysis
#strangerthings #season5 #analysis

20 Comments

@mylittlethoughttree Creator 9 months ago Pinned

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@buriedstpatrick 9 months ago

That scene where he pauses the entire mystery to console the woman on the phone really tugged at my heartstrings. I think the subversion is a lot more emotional with this outing. I'm a Glass Onion stan for the comedy, but this one resonated with me on a deeper level. I think you hit the nail on the head with the observation that these are people, not just suspects. Rian Johnson is just really good at turning the mystery genre into works that has something to say without sacrificing the core mystery story. And man, that cinematography is just getting better every time.

@arthropodstopic 9 months ago

"They're not suspects. They're victims." That makes a LOT of sense. Thank you for making sense of one of the criticisms of the movie.

@QuinnTheGM 9 months ago

While I think both of the other films are far stronger as mysteries, this one feels like the stronger movie overall. The themes are incredibly poignant in a way its predecessors weren't, and I feel like it's neat that even Blanc himself gets something of a character arc. Handily my favorite so far, though I'm willing to admit my bias - it moved me at least a bit because I grew up Catholic, despite leaving the faith years ago.

@jmarquiso 9 months ago

One of the interesting things about the Benoit Blanc mysteries is Blanc is never the main character. He mentors the main character to making their decision on what is justice by Act 3.

This time Blanc goes through the change.

@nefarioushan2394 9 months ago

I'm an atheist, and I ended up crying during the last 15 minutes of the film. It took me by total surprise. The way Jud just listens to the confession, without judging, offering understanding and comfort, is absolutely magnificent.All of which you're saying is true! But also, I think the biggest strength of the movie is that it turns away from being so satirical, ironic, and mostly much less cynical than the second one of the series. It's much more down-to-earth, and it needs to be that way; it needs to be genuine. It's showing the terrible, scary reality we live in, not only in terms of how the church operates, but also politicians, people who like to make conspiracy theories, the lack of trust for scientists and doctors after the pandemic, the hate on social media, and misinformation. It's not the first film to comment on all that, but it's the first that has taken such a kind approach to it - it doesn't ridicule "the other side" of the argument, it doesn't cynically point a finger at a new enemy. It shows that compassion, empathy, and human connection are the answer to all the anxieties we face nowadays. But there's not a lot of people as good and honest as Jud, nor do they have the power to scream louder than the negative fear-inducers. The movie definitely has its flaws, but the message resonated deeply with me. Thank you for your analysis! <3 Hope you're doing great.

@camz1601 9 months ago

I think my favourite part of this movie is when Jud listens to the lady who is losing her mother. At detriment to himself, he could potentially still be in the frame for this if he didnt find the killer but he puts that at jeopardy anyway to be empathetic and help someone

@ThePonderer 9 months ago

I think you did a good job putting into words what bothered me about the supporting cast on a first viewing. It’s not that they’re inherently less interesting characters than the Thrombeys or the Disruptors, but structurally they aren’t given space to leave an impression the same way.

It’s on rewatches that I realized that’s kind of the point- this is a much more protagonist-centered and theme-centered story than the previous films, so it’s a bit disappointing but also kinda ok that the Flock are kinda set dressing.

Really like Vera though.

@Mr.guy4eva 9 months ago (edited)

I’m an atheist & this one was easily my favorite out of all the movies. I loved father Jud’s character. It hit very close to home for me because I genuinely saw a lot of my same struggles reflected in his character.

@Cryptidbehaviour 9 months ago

One thing I enjoyed a lot was how Benoit was called out for visibly enjoying getting to sum up the case for a riveted audience. I enjoyed the fact that he realises the way to properly solve the case is to give that up, to stop and pretend he doesn’t know the true culprit. That to solve this the right way, he had to allow the culprit to confess - to a priest - and not be shamed on a pulpit like the evil Monsignor had done. It would’ve been solved either way. But one was compassionate, the other selfish, and he chose compassion.

I like it, too, because he’s well aware that Cy is recording Blanc’s summation. He’s completely and totally aware that Cy will be posting it online, for the whole world to see. He’s Benoit Blanc, the world renowned detective who’s never failed to solve a case. He’s Benoit Blanc, the man so incredibly observant, there’s no way he missed that. He looks directly at Cy, even. He’s Benoit Blanc, happily married gay man who hates Christianity for how his mother treated him out of structured homophobia.

He’s Benoit Blanc, who chose to make a fool of himself and pretend this case was impossible to solve, allowing a cruel man to gain ammunition that “ruins” Blanc’s sterling reputation. A reputation he would’ve maintained perfectly well if he’d kept going and simply accused the culprit. Instead, he chose to let the culprit confess, in a way that satisfied both justice and religious forgiveness of sin.

@hobbytan 9 months ago

I still think Knives Out is the best of the 3 Blanc films, but I genuinely preferred Wake Up Dead Man to Glass Onion, despite immediately clocking who the killer was. The more I think about it, the more I feel like Knives Out was a Whodunit, Glass Onion was a Whydunit and Wake Up Dead Man is a Howdunit, if that makes sense? and I'm looking forward to seeing where the world of Benoit Blanc goes from here.

@Jessedessie 9 months ago (edited)

Weirdly enough I was aware of the lack of suspects as I was watching but I still loved the movie- the themes and the exploration of Father Judd was just spectacular

@mayk5999 9 months ago (edited)

“Benoi Blanc ‘PWNED’”

@donttrendonme 9 months ago

The movie is good enough that you almost forget it’s a knives out movie until the incident.

@punchingpillow 9 months ago

I think Glenn Close deserves an oscar for this.

@arfffff-1 9 months ago

I walked away from the theater with the same exact feeling - the suspects didn't have that suspect vibe but I loved the themes of religion, perspective, and leadership in general. It makes more sense after watching this because the first half or so of the movie is Jud's recap in which he doesn't want to portray them as suspects of a murder - rather, he portrays them as victims of faulty leadership and counsel, since that's what he believes more due to his experience with Wicks. I only felt like they were getting more like suspects towards the end which was a little late imo, but that's when it switches from Jud's recap to present day.

@wwaxwork 9 months ago

They were literally a flock, a flock of sheep, none of them were supposed to stand out.

@Pandasaurus_Bexx 9 months ago

I feel like a big difference in the assemble casts is that in the first one they were a group pitted against each other. In the second they were a group pitted against Miles. In this one each member is really an individual, pitted only against themselves and their individual demons, protecting against Father Jud.
Very nuanced differences, and each one makes for an entirely different narrative feel.
The dysfunctional family, the friend group under the thumb of a charismatic leader and finally broken individuals brought together only through their brokenness.

@dubiousdeliquite6641 9 months ago

Personally this is my favorite of the series, but I also acknowledge that it has a quite different feel from the previous two and is a lot more narrative focused than mystery focused, if that makes sense.

It was just a really good breakdown of both the best and worst aspects of religion, which hits close to home being someone who was raised catholic but has over time grown to be an atheist

@redactedfork2203 9 months ago

In another world, Blanc could fulfill the role of Wicks and vice versa. They are profoundly similar in their charismatic bravitas and presentation. But where Wicks places himself ABOVE his people (both physically and emotionally) Blanc places himself AMONG them in his final speech. He speaks to them as individuals, not as a flock