Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, and Anya Taylor-Joy
Using his super investigative skills, David Dunn (Willis) tracks down serial killer Kevin W. Crumb. Their showdown results in the duo being captured and committed to a local insane asylum. Upon arrival, they realize they aren’t alone. Terrorist Elijah Price is also being held at the facility. The asylum is run by Dr. Elie Staple (Paulson) a crafty psychologist who is determined to rid the men of their grand delusions, and dispel the notion that any one of them are “special”. Under the intense scrutiny of the doctor, the trio is forced to come to terms with reality and reveal their true selves.
Glass is the direct sequel to 2017’s Split and the third film in what is being called the Eastrail 177 trilogy. The first film in the trilogy is 2000’s Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a mild-mannered security guard who becomes the lone survivor of a deadly train crash. Surviving the crash makes him the target of a strange comic book aficionado Elijah Price (Jackson) who seeks him out and attempts to convince him he is a superhero. David Dunn’s son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), wholeheartedly believe in the impossible and push the elder Dunn to accept his fate. The film concludes with Dunn accepting his superhuman abilities and Price locked away, convicted of terrorism. Willis, Clark, and Jackson reprise their original roles for Glass, neatly wrapping up a storyline nearly two decades in the making. In the years since he discovered his abilities, David Dunn has become a vigilante of sorts, single highhandedly cleaning up the streets of Philadelphia. Like a good sidekick, his adult son provides tech support for his adventures. Unlike the super high tech world of Marvel and DC comic tales. Shyamalan kept this part of the story grounded in reality. There are no lasers or some amazing high tech suit of armor. Dunn is still very much an average man, he’s just much stronger than most. Jackson also returns as the sickly mastermind Price aka Mr. Glass, who has spent the better part of the last decade under close surveillance. Having established their roles as hero and villain in the first film their reunion has been a long time coming but is enormously overshadowed by the multiple personalities of Kevin Crumb. Though the newest character to enter this cinematic universe he is by far the most intriguing.
Audiences were introduced to Crumb in 2017’s “Split”, a psychological thriller starring James McAvoy as the troubled Kevin Wendell Crumb a young man with multiple personalities, 23 to be exact. In the film, Crumb kidnaps three teenage girls to literally feed to his latest identity “The Beast”. The movie concludes with Crumb on the run after allowing the third girl to narrowly escape, having devoured the other two. His escape from capture catches the attention of Dunn who is only revealed in the final moments of the film, tying the two movies together. This big reveal had tongues wagging for days, salivating over the possibility of a sequel. Glass begins about a year after Split’s ending and finds Crumb still being controlled by “The Horde” a collection of his personalities, all of whom worship “The Beast”. At the start of the film, we revisit the premise of Split with a bevy of cheerleaders being held hostage and readied for consumption. Dunn catches wind of this early on, and a battle ensues after which both men are captured and detained by Dr. Elie Staple. Their detention prompts the reintroduction of Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy) the only survivor of the Horde’s first feast. Cooke having been spared by “The Beast” is strangely enamored with Crumb a connection that appears more romantic than sympathetic. Despite having witnessed him consume human flesh, Casey is determined to help Kevin regain control of his life. Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) is the newest character in the trilogy providing a common enemy for Price, Crumb, and Dunn. Paulson is in her element as the Know-It-All psychologist tasked with breaking down the three men. There is a something creepy and yet endearing about her delivery that fits in perfectly with the style of this latest film. She dispels all of the so-called abilities of the trio with logic and reason. She is not only able to control them she is determined to rid them of the belief that they can achieve anything. Though a series of sessions she acts as the catalyst that forces the trio to prove their outrageous claims or accept the fact that they are just delusions that should be treated. Her presence opens the possibility that the phenomenon the men are experiencing may simply be a trick of the mind.
Though viewing the previous films isn’t necessary to fully enjoy Glass, it is highly recommended. Having watched all three we can assure you that there are nuances and mentions in the new film that won’t be apparent if the previous two movies are missed. Unbreakable was a dry bleak film largely devoid of humor. Despite its critical acclaim, many found it to be long-winded and dull at points. Split was the total opposite; a fast-paced thrilling film from start to finish sprinkled with a few fun moments courtesy of the charismatic Horde. Glass is a fusion of the other two films styles providing sharp bursts of humor and light as well as nostalgia from the earlier works. Clips from the previous movies are placed throughout the film, some as explanations and others reveal plot points that require context from the other two movies. For instance, there is a scene from the Unbreakable train crash that provides one of Glass’s biggest a-ha moments. Also, Shyamalan’s makes his Stan Lee-esque appearance and serves up a joke you’ll only get if you caught his appearance in Unbreakable.
Glass isn’t your typical superhero movie, it is far more cerebral. Where most hero movies are about the action and special effects. Glass is about the story. Though fantastical at times its plot relies heavily on reality drawing from real life whenever plausible. It is a semi-realistic account on the ingenuity, resilience, and strength of the human existence. Each character is both good and bad prompting empathy and disdain at once. Glass may be the last in this trilogy of films (or maybe not), but it could very well be the second verse in Shyamalan’s long-awaited redemption song.
Glass hits theaters this Friday, January 18th!
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: M. Night Shyamalan
PRODUCER: M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, Ashwin Rajan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Steven Schneider, Gary Barber, Roger Birbaum, Kevin Frakes