It must be difficult for the talented writer and filmmaker, Rian Johnson, to stomach the fact that when people hear his name, they immediately think of his calamitous blockbuster, The Last Jedi. Personally, it was Johnson’s follow-up feature that prompted me to immediately turn the page on the latest Star Wars saga. But despite the director’s monumental sci-fi misfire, his career has been otherwise peppered with continuous hits. From Johnson’s indie modern-day noir debut, Brick, to the heady time travel thriller, Looper, it’s no surprise that Disney handed him the keys to their most prized vehicle. Yet, even after dividing audiences with his polarizing effort, he rebounded instantly with the Oscar-nominated murder mystery, Knives Out. The clever whodunit propelled Johnson back into the spotlight where he doubled down with a 2022 sequel, and returns once again with a brand-new third installment, Wake Up Dead Man, which drops on Netflix December 12th. But if you’re a Benoit Blanc die-hard like myself, this latest Knives Out mystery can be found in select theaters as early as this weekend.
Johnson drops the audience into a small New York town where a young priest (played by Challengers Josh O’Connor) with demons of his own is sent to assist an unconventional Monsignor (Dune’s Josh Brolin), who winds up dead during a church sermon. With a knife in his back and a small flock of loyal, but spiteful, churchgoers as their primary suspects, the local authorities turn to the crime-solving guru, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), to solve this impossible murder. But to compound the mystery, everyone is thrown for a loop when footage shows the Monsignor rise from the dead, setting off a whole new set of questions.
Wake Up Dead Man stands as another welcome addition to the Knives Out universe, jam-packed with laughs and intrigue that’s assured to keep audiences guessing. Yet, writer and director Rian Johnson wisely shakes things up, delivering a narrative structure that differs from his first two installments. In this latest feature, immense back story narrated by Josh O’Connor’s character carries the first third of the movie, highlighting the young priest’s journey to this new parish and power struggle he endures with the Monsignor. The minutes continue to mount well before Benoit Blanc appears on screen for the first time, a major shift for the Knives Out series. This difference helps create a fresh new feel that surely separates the film from its predecessors.
Another strong inclusion to Wake Up Dead Man is Johnson’s well-crafter double mystery. Not only is there a murder to solve, but Benoit Blanc and company are left to rationalize the inexplicable resurrection of the Monsignor after footage surfaces and there is no trace of his body anywhere. Despite these welcome differences and additions, Rian Johnson still manages to keep his characters interesting, their motives aplenty, and the humor unrelenting, reminding the audiences that this new effort is still a quintessential Knives Out film.
Oscar hopes are probably out of the question for Wake Up Dead Man, but that doesn’t mean the film lacks superior performances or an unworthy script. The entire ensemble is spectacular, committed to their purpose in this grand story and convincing in their deliveries. I could go on about the onscreen dominance of Andrew Scott, Glenn Close, Cailee Spaeny and others, but this film boils down to the holy trinity of Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, and Daniel Craig. These three titans help remind us just how brilliant a Rian Johnson script can be when acted to perfection.
I’ve loved all three Knives Out mysteries, so please don’t ask me to rank them. In fact, we haven’t been given a Rian Johnson film outside of the Benoit Blanc universe since he began this partnership with Netflix for his inaugural 2019 release and that’s perfectly fine with me. In my humble opinion, as long as well-concocted mysteries continue to swirl around that big, beautiful brain of his, Rian Johnson should remain in this wheelhouse.
GRADE: 4 stars out of 5