THE DANMAN CAN

Wake Up Dead Man (2025) is fun overall and perhaps a notch above  Glass Onion   (2022) [ review ] (I'm not sure; I haven't revisited that one since I saw it in the theater), but it's longer than necessary and very heavy-handed with its themes. I still love  Knives Out  (2019) [ review ], but these films are definitely diminishing returns. Also, shouldn't there be a comma in the title? Rian Johnson Feature Films Ranked

While I can't be too hard on a film that is designed simply to be fun (and Glass Onion (2022) is undeniably that), I found Rian Johnson 's follow-up to his 2019 whodunnit,  Knives Out ( review ) to be a weaker effort. The characters aren't used as effectively and the celebrities playing them aren't as interesting. Much of the humor is a bit too broad for my tastes (though there are definitely some choice jokes). I felt the runtime more here as well— KO was already 2 hours and 10 minutes long and GO is another 10 minutes on top of that. KO was just as much fun on a rewatch but I'm not sure that will be the case with GO . Time will tell. In any case, this was enjoyable and I'll show up for the third film (which, honestly, does anyone really need the “ A Knives Out Mystery ” subtitle for?). Rian Johnson Feature Films Ranked

Just as much fun on a rewatch. Review

“And yet...a donut.” Knives Out (2019) is an exceptionally good twisty turny whodunit that takes the best parts of Agatha Christie , subverts and modernizes them just enough, adds a political subtext that never feels heavy-handed, and, despite my initial concerns regarding the more than 2-hour running time, remains consistently engaging throughout. In the tradition of this genre, an incredible ensemble cast has been assembled and, for the most part, very well utilized. In particular, Daniel Craig is a perfectly cast modern counterpoint to Hercule Poirot in the character of Benoit Blanc, a distinguished southern-fried private dick. I found Knives Out to be a m uch better take on the murder mystery than Brick (2005) (my review here ) was on the noir. The attention to detail, the production design, costumes, and the excellent cinematography are all fully realized on screen. Not that I actively seek to critique films per se, but I find it difficult to do so with a film...