There\u2019s another dangerous murder mystery afoot in the latest \u201cKnives Out\u201d movie, and Benoit Blanc is back on the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWake Up Dead Man,\u201d the third installment of Rian Johnson\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The saga picks up with an eager young priest named Father Jud (Josh O\u2019Connor), 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019s greatest detective when things don\u2019t quite add up.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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 \u201cKnives Out\u201d mysteries.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019m 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 \u201cWake Up Dead Man,\u201d the character\u2019s storylines can get a bit muddled. I thought the majority of the performances were really great, though: I\u2019ll watch Daniel Craig in anything and I even love his fake Southern accent in the \u201cKnives Out\u201d franchise. Josh O\u2019Connor was perfectly cast as Father Jud, and he\u2019s another actor I love to see in basically anything. My girl Glenn Close is fun to watch, too: there\u2019s one scene where Cailee Spaeny\u2019s character Simone, who uses a wheelchair, gets up to walk and Close\u2019s character Martha screams, \u201cIt\u2019s a miracle!\u201d To which Simone says, \u201cI can walk, Martha; it just hurts!\u201d It was probably the funniest moment in the whole movie. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s Cyrus made my skin crawl, but I guess that was the whole point. \u2014 <\/span>Erin<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jeffrey Wright\u2019s appearance was a big surprise to me because I didn\u2019t even realize he was cast in this! I, too, wish he had way more scenes because his character was quite funny \u2014 I feel like he would\u2019ve been a nice addition to the church congregation ensemble. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019d say O\u2019Connor gives the best performance of everyone. After seeing him in this and in \u201cChallengers,\u201d I can\u2019t 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\u2019t 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\u2019s \u201cAll\u2019s Fair\u201d and \u201cThe Deliverance.\u201d \u2014 <\/span>Njera<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Oh, you HAVE to watch O\u2019Connor in \u201cThe Crown;\u201d he\u2019s SO good! \u2014 <\/span>Erin<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Say less, he has me convinced! \u2014 <\/span>Njera<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The fact that there\u2019s more than one murder to be solved in this movie definitely stuck out to me. The entire time I was wondering how the whole \u201cwake up dead man\u201d premise would come into play after Wicks was already murdered, but that twist in the second act threw me for a loop. After \u201cGlass Onion,\u201d I knew it\u2019d be hard for another \u201cKnives Out\u201d movie to top that madness, but \u201cWake Up Dead Man\u201d 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. \u2014 <\/span>Njera<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLet\u2019s talk about the cast and their performances.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The Highlights Of \u2018Wake Up Dead Man\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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