rewatched Wake Up Dead Man last night and something struck me about the scene right before the phone call with Louise.
Blanc picks up the Jesus figurine - the last piece of the box they haven't dismantled to search. And he looks up at Jud, almost asking permission—
—which Jud gives immediately, because he sees where Blanc is going with that (it's hollow, there could be a clue inside).
and at first I was like. oh haha Blanc looks at the priest to get permission to smash the Jesus figurine. and then I was like. oh. Blanc looks at the priest to get permission to smash the Jesus figurine, and the priest doesn't even hesitate.
yeah, it's a cheap trinket, of course it doesn't really matter if they break it. but look at the context of the scene! Jud is getting swept away in the mystery, in Blanc's game of crime-solving, and forgetting his real priorities. As he puts it later:
Jud: IT IS A GAME! ... And by using me in it, you're setting me against my real and only purpose in life! Which is not to fight the wicked and bring them to justice, but to serve them and bring them to Christ. Otherwise I'm just as bad as Wicks, making it about me and not Jesus.
Because as we all know, the scene immediately after smashing the figurine is when Jud calls Louise. And he's impatient. He's rushing her. He's trying to get the answer, to solve the crime, and Blanc is there in the background urging him on. When Louise says, can I ask you something? his answer is if you can make it quick.
It shocks Jud out of his impatience and focus on the crime. Where before he was talking quickly and speaking over Louise, he now stops and takes his time, actually considering what to say and, more importantly, listening to her.
As she talks, Jud looks at Blanc, who is still like ?? but who, to his credit, doesn't try to rush the conversation when he sees the look on Jud's face. And then he looks at the Jesus figurine.
Which he allowed, and encouraged, Blanc to destroy. Just like he's allowing and even encouraging Blanc to destroy the members of his church, who he is supposed to serve. Making it about him and not Jesus.
this scene is masterful for so many reasons, but I love the use of the Jesus figurine to symbolize Jud's relationship to the church, and how Blanc interacts with that relationship. Because Blanc asks!! He doesn't just break the figurine, he waits for Jud to agree. None of this is on Blanc (aside from perhaps his characteristic flippancy about murder), he's just doing his job. As an atheist, he has no qualms about dismantling religious systems and bringing people to justice instead of extending grace, and he's not the bad guy for that! We have two whole movies before this where it's clear that Blanc's methods work and are the right thing in certain circumstances!
It's just that in this circumstance, they fundamentally conflict with Jud's core beliefs, and it's on Jud to hold himself to those standards and set that boundary with Blanc. Once he does, Blanc reassesses his methods and respects Jud's wishes.
Jud just needed this scene to remind him of those beliefs.
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