IF WE WERE using deductive reasoning worthy of Benoit Blanc, the success of the Knives Out series, and especially the latest installment Wake Up Dead Man, would quickly become clear.
First, writer-director Rian Johnson knows his stuff: the murder-mysteries are fluent in the type of misunderstandings, red herrings, and implausible-but-exciting surprises that make whodunnits an utter blast; second, his settings are memorable and rich, instantly recognizable and delightful to explore throughout the unfolding mystery; thirdly, his focus on fraught social situations underlines the desperation and venom of his characters (all played enthusiastically by recognizable actors), upping the stakes and satirizing the pathetic dependency brought out by our desire to be close to money and power. It helps that the films are very funny, irascible and playful romps designed to elicit laughs and gasps every few minutes.
None of the above is new to the whodunnit or murder mystery genre (again, see point one), but the slick style and heightened tone—as symbolized by detective Benoit Blanc, who has now eclipsed the other iconic serialized character in actor Daniel Craig’s career—makes the series a home run of murderous mischief. Not many other mystery films resemble exactly the Knives Out films–you’d need comedy, misdirection, pastiche, logic traps, betrayals, wounded characters, a social conscience, and part of the joy of Wake Up Dead Man is that it hops from one delight to the other with reckless speed. With the murder-mystery now streaming on Netflix, Men’s Health has collected 10 murder mystery films that each resemble the devilish criminal intent and savvy detective work of Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Wake Up Dead Man.
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