There’s another dangerous murder mystery afoot in the latest “Knives Out” movie, and Benoit Blanc is back on the case.
“Wake Up Dead Man,” the third installment of Rian Johnson’s hit detective series, sees the famed Southern sleuth (Daniel Craig) take on his most treacherous mystery yet, as he heads to upstate New York to get to the bottom of an impossibly perfect crime at a small-town church with a haunting history.
The saga picks up with an eager young priest named Father Jud (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer who, after getting in trouble for punching a deacon, gets sent away to assist firebrand head priest Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin) at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. The two men clash over their different beliefs about faith and how to lead their church’s flock. And when Wicks turns up dead at the height of their feud, right in the middle of a Good Friday service, the whole town suspects Jud as the culprit.
Blanc swoops in to aid the tense murder investigation and help Jud clear his name, but even this mystery proves to be a struggle for the world’s greatest detective when things don’t quite add up.
Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church and Jeffrey Wright also star in the film.
In this chat, celebrity.land staffers discuss the highlights of this latest franchise film, including the ensemble cast and their performances, and how it compares to the rest of the “Knives Out” mysteries.
Let’s talk about the cast and their performances.
I’m a sucker for a movie with a star-studded cast. I love it when a big ensemble works together to make a story really come together. But sometimes, as was the case for me with “Wake Up Dead Man,” the character’s storylines can get a bit muddled. I thought the majority of the performances were really great, though: I’ll watch Daniel Craig in anything and I even love his fake Southern accent in the “Knives Out” franchise. Josh O’Connor was perfectly cast as Father Jud, and he’s another actor I love to see in basically anything. My girl Glenn Close is fun to watch, too: there’s one scene where Cailee Spaeny’s character Simone, who uses a wheelchair, gets up to walk and Close’s character Martha screams, “It’s a miracle!” To which Simone says, “I can walk, Martha; it just hurts!” It was probably the funniest moment in the whole movie.
I could have used a lot more Jeffrey Wright in this film, but it was nice to see him pop in and out. Kerry Washington’s character, Vera, seemed a tad bit underdeveloped to me, and there were a couple of scenes where her facial expressions were doing a little too much work. Daryl McCormack’s Cyrus made my skin crawl, but I guess that was the whole point. — Erin
Jeffrey Wright’s appearance was a big surprise to me because I didn’t even realize he was cast in this! I, too, wish he had way more scenes because his character was quite funny — I feel like he would’ve been a nice addition to the church congregation ensemble.
But as far as the entire cast, Johnson has always been good about casting just the right stars for his murder mysteries, and I feel like this group gelled together quite nicely. Next to Craig and his delightfully funny Southern charm, I’d say O’Connor gives the best performance of everyone. After seeing him in this and in “Challengers,” I can’t wait to check out his other work. Brolin as his angry, strong-willed priest character was also pretty convincing, to the point where he actually pissed me off, too. Washington was low-key in her bag, especially in the scene where she confronts Wicks for his adultery and hiding a secret child. Even in a mystery-comedy like this, she knows how to bring the drama. And last but not least, Close was another favorite of mine, who actually didn’t surprise me once the movie got to her big reveal. She has quite a few funny, melodramatic moments; I just wish she had more memorable lines to rival the things she says in Hulu’s “All’s Fair” and “The Deliverance.” — Njera
Oh, you HAVE to watch O’Connor in “The Crown;” he’s SO good! — Erin
Say less, he has me convinced! — Njera
The Highlights Of ‘Wake Up Dead Man’
The fact that there’s more than one murder to be solved in this movie definitely stuck out to me. The entire time I was wondering how the whole “wake up dead man” premise would come into play after Wicks was already murdered, but that twist in the second act threw me for a loop. After “Glass Onion,” I knew it’d be hard for another “Knives Out” movie to top that madness, but “Wake Up Dead Man” gives it a good run for its money. I also liked that there was a layered backstory to accompany this mystery, even though the film spends a good amount of time setting it up. — Njera
Yes, after the first murder, I couldn’t figure out how they were going to drag this movie out much longer. But the other storylines do give the film a bit more depth than the other films in the franchise — without becoming too frustrating or confusing. I loved that this was all set at a church, and the storyline had very clear references to the Bible and faith. “Throw a stone in this movie,” director and writer Rian Johnson told Tudum, “you’re going to hit a Biblical reference.” In general, the film was pretty entertaining and kept me guessing. — Erin
What could have been better?
All the “Knives Out” movies have long runtimes, but something about “Wake Up Dead Man” felt like it started to drag before it even got to its big twist. Thankfully, where it’s placed in all the action helps jolt the story back into excitement, but I still wish it didn’t take so long to tie everything together. Also, I didn’t really care for how they made a big fuss over Blanc being fake stumped about who committed the crime. That huge build-up just for him to give up and have everyone walk out of the church when it seemed like he figured it out just seemed extra. — Njera
It was waaaay too long. That’s been my biggest complaint about all the films. Give this to me in 100 minutes, and I’d be happy as a clam! — Erin
How does it compare to the other ‘Knives Out’ installments?
I don’t think anything can match the magic of the first “Knives Out.” I pretty much hated the second installment, “Glass Onion,” because I thought the twist was just so ridiculous and poorly executed. The movie just didn’t make any sense to me. I think “Wake Up Dead Man” sits solidly in between the first and second films. It’s a good watch, but not the best murder mystery I’ve ever seen. I’m definitely glad I waited to watch it on Netflix instead of going to the theater to see it. — Erin
“Glass Onion” is still my personal favorite, simply because Janelle Monáe gave a bad-ass twin performance that made that movie undeniable. But the first “Knives Out” still has the best executed mystery and reveal, in my opinion. “Wake Up Dead Man” is solid for the most part, but the ending got a little too complicated for no reason. I’ll still gladly take another movie from this franchise, especially if Johnson keeps putting together these great star-studded casts, but hopefully, he strings together a tighter story next time. — Njera
Worth Watching?
It’s entertaining, but a bit too long. Turn it on on a lazy Sunday afternoon. — Erin
Agreed. If nothing else, Blanc is still pretty fun to watch solve this mystery. — Njera
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