TORONTO – How does one even begin discussing “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” without potentially spoiling it? Perhaps by beginning with some well-deserved praise. With his third “Knives Out” film, Rian Johnson has seamlessly crafted another murder mystery with even more delicious twists and turns than the previous two installments. Maybe even combined. Somewhat hard to believe until you witness it for yourself. And, along with a slightly (and emphasis on “slightly”) more serious tone, the result is often smashing.
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Oh, and thanks to Johnson’s longtime cinematographer, Steve Yedlin, the film is also absolutely gorgeous. Especially the forest scenes, which evoke an appropriately eerie quality to the lighting and framing. A welcome comeback after the close to “Netflix film” style aesthetic of 2022’s “Glass Onion.” But wait, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. It must be our fear of giving anything away.
When we last saw Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in the world-famous detective was on a private island in Greece, having solved yet another complicated murder mystery. That second installment of the franchise featured a bold, slick sheen in both its tone and execution. Considering the tale took place almost completely within the swank resort home of a tech billionaire during the heightened 2020 pandemic, that aesthetic was a jolt from the fireside chats and cozy sweaters of the first film. Five years later, Blanc is once again investigating another murder, and the circumstances are decidedly more backlit, gothic, and religious. Well, as spiritual as you can get in the confines of sleepy Upstate New York.
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“Wake Up Dead Man” begins with Blanc reading a handwritten story from relatively young Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), who narrates how he wound up under the direction of the charismatic but hateful Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) of the Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude parish. Describing himself as “young, dumb, and full of Christ,” Jud is a one-time boxer turned Catholic priest with his own troubled past. He has been reassigned to Wicks’ dying parish by his superiors as punishment for punching a fellow priest. Wicks has no interest in having an understudy and, in the context of confession, immediately starts playing mind games with him (a very funny one at that). Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), who effectively keeps the lights running at Our Lady, isn’t thrilled about Jud’s arrival either.
As the weeks and months pass, Jud is disheartened by Wicks’ increasingly combative sermons. He is so bombastic that he drives longtime and new parishioners away. And yet there are several churchgoers whose fierce loyalty to Wicks seems suspicious. Strangely so.
Beyond the cold-hearted Martha, Wicks’ flock includes Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), who was forced to adopt her father’s illegitimate 10-year-old son after she had barely graduated from law school. Now all grown up, Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), has returned home after failing as a Republican politician (he laments he tried it all with voters: borders, trans, vaccines, woke, Israel, and couldn’t gain any traction). But there are more sad stories among this motley crew.
Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) was a world-renowned cellist, but a debilitating nerve condition destroyed her career. She is so desperate to stop the non-stop pain that she believes Wicks’s claims that Christ can heal her through prayer and spiritual counseling. Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner) was the happiest man in town, that is, until his wife went up and left him. Now a borderline alcoholic, he’s drawn to the hate in Wicks’ sermons as he becomes more and more withdrawn from the world. Last, but not least, is Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), a successful Science Fiction author who has become so conspiratorial that he’s built a literal moat around his home.
Watching from afar is Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), the parish groundskeeper, who seems to keep to himself and intentionally stays out of Wicks’ earshot. Eventually, local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) enters the fray when the victim is killed. Spoilers or not, it is a murder mystery. Someone is going to die sooner or later.
Similar to the roles played by Ana de Armas and Janelle Monae in the first two chapters, O’Connor and Craig drive the narrative as a two-hander. In fact, with Blanc truly not arriving on the scene until over 40 minutes in, O’Connor, effectively, is the lead of “Wake Up,” demonstrating he can carry a charismatically studio-esque tentpole by himself with genuine comedic chops (not that anyone had any doubt).
Johnson and casting directors Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe know how to pull together a master ensemble. Close is the one actor who truly elevates her character on the page, delivering yet another powerhouse performance when it counts. Her Martha may seem one-note at first, but just you wait. Washington is also fantastic, demonstrating a dark internal fury as Vera. She’s not there for laughs. She mostly leaves that to her co-stars.
As for McCormack, he plays the entitled political social media influencer who is out for only himself perfectly. He makes you believe Cy is such a prick that he’d throw anyone under the social media bus to increase his own notoriety. Renner, in one of his quietest roles in forever, portrays Sharp’s pathetic demeanor perhaps too well. Spaeny is seemingly given the least to do, but makes the most of it when she can. Scott is perhaps the only minor disappointment, bringing less neurotic bite to Lee than one would expect.
As the film progresses and the circumstances become more dire, Johnson uses Jud as a vessel to confront Blanc on subjects of faith and forgiveness. Truth be told, he almost makes the atheist investigator stop and reconsider the service a priest or a church can provide. Even if it’s just “telling stories” in the context of emotional comfort or introspection. Johnson has subtly or not-so-subtly included timely political themes in all the “Knives Out” films, but these tangents seem somewhat more personal this time around. Jud and Blanc come so close to engaging genuine philosophical debates, it almost takes you aback. To be fair, these sorts of spiritual topics are not what you’d expect in a “Knives Out” film. Are they a means for Blanc to conduct his investigation? Or is Johnson using this scenario to challenge the viewer’s worldview, whether religious or not? Maybe, in this case, two things can be true, or maybe not.
Without spoiling too many more plot points, it should be noted that in the context of this film, Johnson has spoken publicly numerous times about mystery author John Dickson Carr and the “locked room” or “impossible crime” genre. That is the scenario, Blanc and Jud face this time around, but does the unsolvable murder truly exist? I mean, not Benoit Blanc, right? He’s always two steps ahead. Right? The fact that Johnson will have the audience doubting his hero’s abilities whatsoever may just be a win for the art of filmmaking in and of itself.
Oh, and don’t worry. It’s also funny. Very funny. Johnson may have new territory to mine, but he still wants to entertain you. Don’t you fret over that. [A-/B+]
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” will arrive in select theaters on Nov. 26 and debut on Netflix on Dec 12.
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