A group of people all looking over toward the camera in shock in Wake Up Dead Man.Image via Netflix
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Rance Collins
Published 53 minutes ago
In addition to being a contributor for Collider, Rance Collins has also written for Variety, IndieWire, Los Angeles Magazine, Turner Classic Movies and The Huffington Post. His news coverage has earned him multiple honors from the California News Publishers Association, while his film and theater criticism made him a two-time Southern California Journalism Award winner. He also was recognized with 2024’s Excellence in Journalism Award by the California 51st Assembly District.
Before committing to journalism as a career, the Texas native lived many lives in Los Angeles – including as a Warner Bros. and Universal Studios tour guide, a political organizer, a marketing writer and producer, a leasing consultant, an occasional indie filmmaker, a Postmates driver and the personal assistant to TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. He holds a BFA in mass communications from Ouachita University and an MFA in screenwriting from Emerson College.
Other interests include ‘90s sitcoms, Hollywood backlots, true crime, record stores, Linda Ronstadt, two cats named Charlotte and Flynn, game nights, advocating for an expanded “Hacks” universe, his AMC A List entourage (aka Jorge), the daily NYT Connections, his Barbra Strikesand bowling team, and making his educator mom and author dad proud.
Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapEditor's note: The following contains spoilers for 'Wake Up Dead Man'Rian Johnson knows how to assemble a cast. The first Knives Out set the template. Big stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer — not to mention Benoit Blanc himself, Daniel Craig, and the movie’s breakout star Ana de Armas. Glass Onion, the next mystery in the series, kept the starry performers coming: Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant… this is only a sampling. Knives Out and Glass Onion have EVEN MORE stars than just those. These movies cause power outages.
Netflix's Wake Up Dead Man kept the hits coming with Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Thomas Haden Church, Daryl McCormack, Jeffrey Wright, and Mila Kunis. Of course, in this suspect list, it’s difficult to choose an MVP, but any time a cast that has one particular eight-time Oscar nominee with them… well, she's always going to take the prize.
Glenn Close is one of cinema’s luminaries, having delivered stellar performances back to the ‘80s, starting with her film debut, The World According to Garp, and especially in such classics as The Big Chill, Jagged Edge, Dangerous Liaisons, 101 Dalmatians, The Natural, Albert Nobbs, The Wife — oh, and of course, that iconic turn in Fatal Attraction.
Though she plays a far more buttoned-up character in Wake Up Dead Man, Fatal Attraction might actually be the most apt comparison to her latest home run. No one — absolutely no one — plays unhinged quite like Ms. Close.
'Wake Up Dead Man' Presents Benoit Blanc's Most Impossible Case Yet
Wake Up Dead Man finds Detective Blanc on a baffling case: a seemingly impossible crime where Josh Brolin’s charismatic Monsignor Wicks has been stabbed, with every suspect in plain view and seemingly no way for anyone to have gotten to him. It’s not just who did it — but how in the hell did they do it?
Glenn Close plays a devoted parishioner and long-time right-hand woman of the monsignor, Martha Delacroix, Martha knows everything there is to know about the small congregation, as well as its odd congregants. Her loyalty to the monsignor is borderline fanatical, and her distrust of the newly minted Reverend Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor) is openly hostile. This woman is fully buttoned up and has no chill… well, minus what appears to be a clandestine affair with the groundskeeper, Samson (Church).
Glenn Close's Closing Scene is Raw and Powerful
Jud talking with Martha in a church.Image via Netflix
The twist in the last act is an all-timer, even among the shocking twist-after-twist Blanc thrillers: Close’s Martha was behind the murder of the reverend. Having recruited the oddball local doctor (Renner), she has conspired to keep evil out of her parish. The location of a multi-million-dollar diamond, one supposed to have been missing for decades, has been discovered — and the church leader appears to have fallen prey to greed and temptation.
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Posts 1 By amy elizabeth marceauxOf course, her plan goes terribly wrong, and multiple bodies pile up as she attempts to cover her tracks. But being a supremely devoted follower, Martha is compelled to repent in the movie’s stunning finale — the closing scene involves just Blanc, Martha, and Rev. Jud. As Martha confesses to the younger reverend, on her knees, Close summons all of her immense performance powers to deliver a monologue that is among the greatest of her career.
It’s the kind of mic drop closer that reminds audiences why she has accumulated award after award in her storied career (minus the big one, but more on that in a moment) — why this intense, raw actress became a movie star. The vulnerability in her eyes as she forces out her misdeeds, as she begs for forgiveness.
Can We Finally Give Glenn Close an Oscar?
If there was any justice in Hollywood, Close would be nominated for her ninth Oscar and would sweep the Supporting Actress category the entire season. Part of the reason why she might not be getting the buzz she should be afforded is because of how used to great performances from Close audiences are. Close being great is what is expected. The new expectation for her is to outdo herself, even as she acts circles around just about every other Thespian on the screen.
Close is often compared to her contemporary Meryl Streep, who has also been nominated for a bevy of Oscars — she just so happens to have won three of them. Streep and Close both often play transformative parts, disappearing into their characters and delivering the goods in a way that just knocks people’s teeth out. At each juncture of Close’s long Oscar nomination run, however, there’s been one performance that just happened to get a little bit more attention every time.
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Get the newsletter for sharp film breakdowns, awards perspective, and casting deep dives that extend this conversation — subscribing brings focused coverage of Glenn Close’s work, mystery-thrillers, and why performances matter. SubscribeSubscribe for deeper Glenn Close and mystery analysis
Get the newsletter for sharp film breakdowns, awards perspective, and casting deep dives that extend this conversation — subscribing brings focused coverage of Glenn Close’s work, mystery-thrillers, and why performances matter. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Fatal Attraction surely should have been her winner — oh, but there’s Cher with Moonstruck. Okay, but Dangerous Liaisons is a slam dunk — but oops, Jodie Foster has burst onto the scene with The Accused. Of course, Streep herself also entered the chat, beating out Close’s performance in Albert Nobbs with her turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Always an Academy Award bridesmaid, never the bride.
For some reason, no one from a Knives Out movie has yet to make it to an Academy nomination, save Rian Johnson for his screenplays. Shocking, considering that the performances are so consistently second-to-none. But in ensemble films, it is difficult to stand out from the pack.
Glenn Close, however, proves her worth yet again in Wake Up Dead Man — and wouldn’t it be great if we finally recognized her?Wake Up Dead Man is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Like Follow Followed PG-13 Thriller Mystery Drama Comedy Release Date November 26, 2025 Runtime 145 minutes Director Rian Johnson Writers Rian Johnson Producers Ram Bergman, Rian Johnson
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Daniel Craig
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Josh O'Connor
Fr. Jud Duplenticy
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Glenn Close
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