‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ review: A holy hat trick

Benoit Blanc is back with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery that riffs on faith, belief, and another mysterious murder.

Rian Johnson may be successful in creating a multitude of genres, but it’s safe to say that he has a knack for the murder mystery. Whether it’s a lonely teenager, a walking lie detector,  or a Hercule Poirot type, he knows how to craft excellent, complex characters and put them in a grisly crime scene. And in the third installment of his Knives Out franchise, he shows no signs of slowing down. 

Wake Up Dead Man takes us to the church Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in rural New York. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has been reassigned to the church after punching a deacon (though he definitely had it coming). Jud wants to bring change to the decaying church, but his obstacle is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), whose angry and alt-right rhetoric has radicalized a key group of the parish: Martha, the church’s bookkeeper (Glenn Close), Samson, the groundskeeper (Thomas Haden Church), Nat, the local doctor (Jeremy Renner), Vera, the church’s lawyer (Kerry Washington), Cy, Vera’s illegitimate brother and failed politician, (Daryl McCormack) Lee, a writer (Andrew Scott), and Simone, a disabled cellist (Cailee Spaeny).

Shortly after his Good Friday sermon, The monsignor is found murdered with a knife in his back, and the local police chief (Mila Kunis) employs the help of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to help crack this case But to everyone, it’s obvious who the murderer is; Jud was recorded telling Wicks that he will cut him out like a cancer to save the church. However, to Blanc, it doesn’t seem that black-and-white, and he works alongside Jud to clear his name. And before anyone can jump to any conclusions, Blanc already eliminates classic murder mystery twists such as the secret door or hidden knife.

Finding the light.

Photo Credit: Netflix

But more captivating than the murder itself is the way that Johnson tackles religion and how it can intertwine with anger. Wicks encourages his followers to get angry because Christianity is being “commandeered by feminists.” Jud’s anger pushed him to find God after he killed a man in a boxing match. Weaponizing emotion is nothing new when it comes to organized religion, but Johnson’s nuanced approach and his diverse cast provide different, complex perspectives.

Like his previous appearances, Craig continues to be suave, funny, and the prime example of a southern gentleman. But Wake Up Dead Man is less focused on Blanc and most of the ensemble. Instead, it mainly follows Jud as he tries to open his arms to this group of people who clearly don’t want him around. And while it leaves the audience wanting a little bit more from the characters, O’Connor more than makes up for it by playing a man who is just trying to find his purpose.

The bottom line.

One wonders how many of these films Johnson has under his belt, but if Agatha Christie could write 39 books with Hercule Poirot, then surely he has at least one more Benoit Blanc adventure left in him. 

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery streams on Netflix starting Friday, December 12. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Netflix. Read more articles by Yasmin Kleinbart here.

Yasmin Kleinbart