Director Rian Johnson trades posh locales for moss-covered church pews in the most grounded–and uncomfortably timely–chapter yet in the Knives Out franchise.
Wake Up Dead Man, the third whodunit in Rian Johnson's hit franchise Knives Out, is far more down to earth than its predecessors with the damp stones of a failing parish replacing high-society locales. Even the humor is more subtle here (though the rare zingers are some of the best in the series) but that restraint only sharpens the overall impact of this doozy of a movie.
The aforementioned parish is the domain of one Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), whose politically-charged sermons have hardened his dwindling congregation into a tight-knit group of sycophants like failed right-wing politician Cy (Daryl McCormack), the town's alcoholic doctor Nat (Jeremy Renner), struggling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), Simone (Cailee Spaeny) the disabled cellist who pinned her hopes–and her life savings–on Wicks’ promise of healing, among other deplorable characters.
Diametrically opposed to Wicks is Father Jud (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer-turned-priest recently transferred to the parish as punishment. Jud is horrified at the Monsignor’s sinful lifestyle and has promised to do everything in his power to stop Wicks from eroding faith in God’s church. But when Wicks is brutally murdered on Good Friday inside a storage cabinet, Father Jud becomes the prime suspect. Proving someone up there has a sense of humor, Father Jud finds an ally in Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the world-famous detective! But can a priest and an atheist work together long enough to save an innocent soul?
Rian Johnson is no stranger to subtext, with each of his Knives Out movies saying the quiet part a little bit louder with each installment. Wake Up Dead Man is the loudest as it overtly tackles echo chambers and the cult of personality, with Brolin's Monsignor Wicks being an unmistakable stand-in for charismatic cult leaders in today's political climate. Brolin's gravely Thanos timbre gives his performance a palpable menace, and his actions are easy to hate considering we live in the shadows of men like him at this very minute.
On the other side of the coin, Josh O'Connor's performance as Father Jud is refreshing. O'Connor nails Jud's gentle integrity and quiet struggle to be true to his calling even amid cynicism and suspicion. It's not every day that a character outshines a peacock like Benoit Blanc, but O'Connor feels like the main character in Wake Up Dead Man, and rightfully so!
It's a wonder then that the rest of this all-star cast blends into the background. Jeremy Renner phones it in here, while I struggle to think of what Andrew Scott contributes to the narrative as much as he struggles to maintain an American accent. The only other standout is, unsurprisingly, Glenn Close as Martha, whose hysterical turn as Wicks' obsessive right-hand woman has so many layers that you'll find yourself laughing at her one moment and then despising her the next.
Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc still delights with a quieter, more reflective role here that complements the world’s tonal shift. His realist bent is the perfect foil for Father Jud's wholesome earnestness, turning every scene they're together into some of the most moving moments of the film.
As a fan of the whodunit, I gladly fired up Wake Up Dead Man for the mystery, but Johnson's latest puzzle feels underbaked, more set dressing for the cast's crises of faith than the centerpiece. If not for Benoit Blanc (who doesn't even fully appear until like 40 minutes in!), you would think this was just an ensemble drama than a Knives Out mystery.
But I appreciate how Wake Up Dead Man dares to ask the bigger questions than its predecessors. Underneath this snappy murder mystery is a sobering study on truth, faith, and staying true to who you are. Like Father Jud (and, for better or worse, the asshole Wicks), the movie stayed true to itself, and it defiantly works in spite of it.
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