Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Jeffrey Wright, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin
Director Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return with another barn burner mystery in Wake Up Dead Man. It's a part of the Knives Out series, each with its own mystery and Craig's amusing detective, Benoit Blanc, as the connective tissue. Johnson's inspiration has always been the classic Agatha Christie novels — fantastic mystery novels with a large collection of potential villains, with detective Hercule Poirot at the center. The first Knives Out movie focused on a wickedly devilish family with plenty of secrets, while Glass Onion was more of a vacation mystery with a big focus on tech, opulence, and detestable billionaires. While Johnson hasn't strayed too far from the elements in Christie's novels, Wake Up Dead Man veers into the text of Edgar Allen Poe and John Dickson Carr with a church-set mystery that seeks to test the faith of Benoit Blanc.
Wake Up Dead Man opens with a glimpse of our great Detective Blanc before pivoting to the one-time boxer turned priest, Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor). Following a dispute in his church that ended in violence, he's being transferred to another parish, that of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Jud's compatriot (Jeffrey Wright) describes Wicks as "a bit of dick" — and we discover that it isn't far from the truth.
Wicks rules his church through fear, frightening away potential parishioners with hateful language and ruling from high to spew his vitriol over the masses. Wicks quickly asserts his dominance over Jud, making his confessions detailed recollections of his masturbation habits and plainly detailing how unwelcome Jud is to this parish. Wicks' demeanor is likely due to his past disappointment and resentment, resentment at his mother, who the church deemed "The Harlot Whore." She had sought the family's fortune and destroyed the church in her fury at being unable to locate it.
Being unwelcome by Wicks wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the parish were inviting, but they are not. Given Wicks' hateful homilies, his church is only filled with the most loyal of disciples. These fine individuals consist of the alcoholic, divorced doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), desperate cellist Simone (Cailee Spaeny), failing science-fiction novelist Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), bitter lawyer Vera (Kerry Washington), and her failed politician / social media influencer "son" Cy (Daryl McCormack). This cast of characters is followed by the groundskeeper Samson (Thomas Haden Church) and Martha (Glenn Close), who has been connected to the church since Wicks' father was in charge.
The previous Knives Out stories featured a breakout performance at the core of the production — Ana de Armas for Knives Out and Janelle Monae for Glass Onion, respectively. The actor who holds the entire story together this time is Josh O'Connor. As a priest, he strives to guide his patrons and lead them to a fulfilling life. It's his past that haunts him, as he committed the ultimate sin before turning to the church. He believes he'll never gain forgiveness. In this sense, he's definitely given the most to do in Wake Up Dead Man, often at the expense of the extended cast.
One cast member gets left behind almost immediately, and that's Daniel Craig. Utilizing a formula similar to his critically acclaimed mystery show, Poker Face, Wake Up Dead Man spends a lot of time setting up the crime. Unfortunately, Johnson keeps Craig out of the action far too long. A lot of the success of the prequel, Glass Onion, came from Craig bouncing off the eclectic group of cast members. His absence is certainly felt as the story comes together. Craig isn't the only cast member to get shortchanged; that's what happens when such a large ensemble is brought together.
Wake Up Dead Man leans heavily into its gothic influences, often having the characters question their faith. For his part, Blanc doesn't believe in any higher being, even if there's a chance of enlightenment. Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yeldin utilize light and dark within the church to showcase the various emotional states of the characters. While it isn't completely notable at first, there's one moment that makes it hard to miss. Another influence on the movie is the Powell and Pressburger film Black Narcissus. The makeup and performance during the "Harlot Whore" story specifically call back to that gothic classic.
It's hard to walk away from Wake Up Dead Man disappointed, but this entry isn't as much fun as the others. It isn't because they've done away with the incessant cameos of Glass Onion, but rather, the gothic setting and Craig's sidelining make everything slightly less thrilling. There are no surprise performances here, and everything seems perfunctory. I'm still game for more Knives Out stories, but here's hoping the next one is more exciting.
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