After a decline in quality with the second installment, Rian Johnson gets his murder mystery series back on track with part three.
“Wake Up Dead Man” is the latest stand-alone investigatory flick featuring private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). This time around, the mystery is set in upstate New York and revolves around a church where a death has taken place.
The victim is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a rather loud pastor with an aggressive style in his sermons. The small congregation of the church point the blame at the young, idealistic priest Jud (Josh O’Connor), who was at odds with Wicks, but claims innocence.
“Wake Up Dead Man” feels like a return to form for the “Knives Out” saga. While it doesn’t top the original entry from 2019, it is genuinely an improvement on 2022’s “Glass Onion.” Right from the start the film shows promise with a vibe notably different than its predecessor. Perhaps most important is that we’re once again introduced to a lovable underdog.
The first “Knives Out” had the advantage of centering on Marta, portrayed by Ana de Armas, providing a character at the movie’s core a viewer can rally around and support for their good heart and thoughtfulness. It’s something “Glass Onion” largely lacked because of how the plot of that movie plays out.
Thankfully, “Wake Up Dead Man” fixes that issue by featuring the character Jud. The young priest is righteous, forward-thinking and caring, making him a solid protagonist to follow. It’s also him telling the story, including some narration, allowing the character to set the vibe of how things unfold in a good way.
The film does a solid job of introducing the other characters through him, too. It all feels genuine, because as a new priest, Jud is naturally going to be out in the community talking to folks to build connections. So by the time the crime occurs, we know the players well through a realistic progression of events.
The crime itself is good, too. There are plenty of suspects, but the manner of death leaves several questions, making for a solid whodunnit. There, of course, we get Blanc involved. The mystery goes through good motions, a mix of analysis and hard conversations, with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure.
There are a few times the plot thickens in good fashion, but these are also balanced with character building moments, keeping a viewer not only invested in finding out what happened, but how it will affect those in the situation. The only real issue is the whole affair is a bit too drawn out. This one comes in at nearly two and a half hours, and it could have been trimmed some.
The final segment feels a bit too drawn out, and gets somewhat messy. Not convoluted, mind you, but not as tight as one would hope, especially in comparison to the first film, which was also shorter to boot. Overall, the journey is pretty good, one just wanted the destination to be as satisfying.
The film is good in the character department, though. As previously mentioned, Jud is a great protagonist, who even has a bit of a dark side from his past, making for an interesting lead. Craig is also once again lovable as the detective with a drawl.
Blanc is one of the best cinematic characters put out in the world in the last decade, and he is once again a treat with his quick wit, dedication to solving crimes and doing right by others. One just wishes his hair was more consistent. Not that it’s a huge deal, but a recurring character should have a consistent look, like Poirot in Agatha Christie adaptations.
Josh Brolin is quite good playing an aggressive, loud priest, too, creating a great foil for Jud. The two characters are also used to explore the ties between religion and community, and how leaders of faith can have an impact on that relationship.
Johnson delivers a highly enjoyable piece of mystery cinema for audiences to enjoy with “Wake Up Dead Man.” It boasts a good range of characters, especially the two leads at its center, it can keep a person guessing and its filmed with some personality. Could have been shorter, sure. But still, this one works, 4.2 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 