Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Movie Review
Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig have been the one of the most exciting cinematic team-ups of the last decade with their murder mystery romps Knives Out and Glass Onion – Johnson being the filmmaking mastermind behind the movies, and Craig donning some career best work as the endlessly entertaining detective Benoit Blanc. And now for their third run, and with a new ensemble to boot, the Knives Out team take on a more gothic tone in Wake Up Dead Man.
Ex-boxer-turned-reverend Jud (Josh O’Connor) is sent to a new church after punching a deacon he disagreed with, and is struggling to win over his new congregation who seemingly have an undying loyalty to the fiery and antagonistic Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). But, when Wicks collapses during the Palm Sunday service and is found with a knife in his back, the church soon turns even more on Jud as he tries to prove his innocence, which is aided by the arrival of Benoit Blanc (Craig), who teams up with Jud to find out who was really behind Wicks’ murder.
Once again creating an eclectic and entertaining ensemble of characters, Johnson manages to capture a wide spectrum of devout followers, all with their own quirks and motives that keep the audience guessing. Glenn Close captivates as a lifelong devotee to the church and Wicks’ right-hand, and Thomas Haden Church brings a pained nuance to his infatuation with her as the church’s groundskeeper. Then the ensemble grows outside of the church itself to the townspeople who make up this odd congregation, including Jeremy Renner as the recently divorced town doctor, Kerry Washington as a tightly-wound lawyer, Darly McCormack as an aspiring politician who posts Wicks’ fiery sermons online for his right-wing audience, Cailee Spaeny as a former cellist who had to give up her dreams due to a disability that she believes Wicks can heal, and Andrew Scott as an author who dramatically changed up his content towards more theorist angles to try and reclaim his best-selling status. Each character is well-fleshed out by Johnson, and each actor brings an entertaining set of quirks to their role.
However, unlike the previous two films, Johnson takes Wake Up Dead Man in a more unique and interesting direction by having the ensemble take more of a backseat this time around, revolving the majority of the narrative around Josh O’Connor’s character of Jud, and his internal battle of faith that is fuelled by the guilt of his past, and the redemption he seeks. Johnson’s script gives O’Connor a lot of meat to chew on to explore these interesting themes and concepts, and he easily becomes the highlight of the film. Jud is an incredibly interesting character, and O’Connor plays him in such a charismatic and humble way, arguably making him the best protagonist of the entire Knives Out series, even outshining Benoit Blanc in this film. And that is not to say that Craig doesn’t once again knock it out of the park as Blanc for the third time, because the team up with Jud makes for a brilliantly fun time, but even he takes a slight backseat to O’Connor in this flick.
Johnson’s attention to narrative detail pays off once more as the mystery of who killed Wicks is equally as intriguing as the last two Knives Out stories, with some really great twists, turns and reveals that manage to keep the audience invested from start to finish. The way Johnson also ties his exploration into religious corruption and the guilt that can sometimes come with unquestioned faith really well into the plot as we watch the mystery unfold while exposing the evil that lies beneath the surface of those who corrupt faith for power.
The gothic nature of setting the film in an old cathedral is also brought to life through some phenomenal cinematography and direction. The use of lighting not only works tonally for how the story explores a “light versus dark” allegory, but also creates some beautiful imagery on screen. There is a true cinematic quality to Johnson’s direction and the production design that features within the film.
In a bold direction for the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man lets the ensemble and mystery take a backseat to allow a truly fascinating character study about a man struggling with his faith and guilt to shine, brought to life by a movie-stealing performance from Josh O’Connor. It’s a different kind of Knives Out mystery, but one that still feels familiar enough to live within the Benoit Blanc universe.
Wake Up Dead Man is in Australian cinemas November 27, and streaming on Netflix December 12
