'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery': Another Engaging Whodunit from Rian Johnson

PHOTO: Netflix

One could argue that Rian Johnson has singlehandedly been keeping the whodunit alive ever since the release of 2019's Knives Out. At the very least, he’s been the most successful purveyor of works in the genre over the past several years. Knives Out was a smash hit, which led Netflix to snatch up the rights and distribute Glass Onion, the second film in the series. While the former enjoyed a long theatrical window, the latter received a mere weeklong engagement. Despite this, the film earned decent streaming numbers, prompting a third Knives Out Mystery to be developed. Johnson insisted on the film receiving a theatrical release, which did happen, but only on limited screens. This frustrated many moviegoers, me included, as these films are made to be seen in a crowded theater. As someone who had great experiences seeing the past two films in theaters (seeing the first Knives Out in a packed house ranks among my favorite moviegoing experiences of all time), I was crushed that I wasn’t able to see this one on a big screen given that there were no theaters near me that were showing it. But as a fan of Johnson and the series, I was still excited to see what was in store for me with Wake Up Dead Man. 

I couldn’t help but be slightly nervous that the series might enter into diminishing returns, as Glass Onion was a slight step down from Knives Out. Granted, I still liked Glass Onion a great deal but still went into Wake Up Dead Man with reasonable expectations. The film does follow a similar formula to the first two films in that it centers on a murder mystery and features an all-star cast as the prime suspects. The characters are usually privileged, delusional, or both, with one who is generally pure of heart among them. It is a version of the typical whodunit template, but with a contemporary flair that puts Johnson’s stories in the here and now. He commonly wrestles with themes of class and power, both of which are present in Dead Man, but the central focus is on Christianity and its place in American culture. It provides a potent, relevant examination on how people use religion to manipulate others and the reasons why people are drawn to it, while also showing what it could and should be. It is certainly darker and a little heavier than the first two films in the series, but it continues Rian Johnson’s excellent track record with these films and had me completely invested from beginning to end. 

Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is a former boxer turned priest who is trying to reform himself after a bad incident in the ring. After punching a deacon in a fit of anger, he gets reassigned to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, a parish in the small town of Chimney Rock, New York. The church is led by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), a fiery and controversial figure who tends to drive potential new members away with his aggressive style of ministry. Despite this, a small but loyal group of parishioners attend regularly, and are very close to the Monsignor. When Wicks mysteriously dies during a Good Friday service, everyone begins to suspect that Jud murdered him. Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is 

summoned to solve the case, but this proves to be his most challenging mystery yet as the secrets of the church and its members come to light and suspicions begin to rise. 

After a goofier outing with Glass Onion, I was glad to see that Rian Johnson decided to hew closer to the tone of the original Knives Out here. I personally liked Glass Onion a lot, but these films seem to work better when it skews darker. Out of the three, Wake Up Dead Man is the darkest and arguably the most thematically rich. The previous films are certainly not lacking in social commentary, but Dead Man’s exploration of religion certainly feels more developed and rather timely given the current state of Christianity in America. Johnson explores how the notion of church and what it means to be a Christian has been distorted beyond recognition due to politics and corrupt individuals. 

The characters in the film represent more of a spectrum of belief, with each of the suspects having  their own reasons for being so loyal to the church. Some of them are more selfish, such as Daryl McCormack’s Cy Draven using his involvement to boost his political image or Andrew Scott’s Lee Ross seeking to parlay his friendship and admiration of Monsignor Wicks into a bestselling novel. Others are hoping to heal, like Jeremy Renner’s sad sack Dr. Nat Sharp who clings tighter to the church after his wife leaves him or Cailee Spaeny’s Simone Vivane, an accomplished cellist who finds solace in the church after being unable to perform due to chronic pain. The variation of what motivates the characters to be part of the church is well defined and illustrates how some use religion for personal gain and how others can be manipulated by it. So many people today claim to be a Christian, but an alarming amount of them use it to justify actions or beliefs that are antithetical to Christianity and its teachings. The film shows this on a smaller scale, but it isn’t hard to draw parallels between it and the real world. Go to any church in America and you will be bound to find people who are either selfish or claim to be loving Christians but demonstrate the opposite through their actions. Rian Johnson is clearly aware of this and shows it in a rather truthful way with some small embellishments to match the more satirical energy of the film. 

Of course, the root cause of much of the issues of modern Christianity comes from those in charge, whether they be in the church or in political office. The influence that comes with these positions of power can greatly affect a congregation. Josh Brolin’s Jefferson Wicks represents the roots of toxicity within the church, as the hate-filled homilies he delivers repels any potential newcomers and emboldens the regulars. Brolin is rather abrasive in his portrayal of Wicks, but he has such confidence and bravado that you can understand why he has his devotees. Wicks is bold and brash but he isn’t too far off from some preachers out there. Brolin himself isn’t in as much of the film as some of his co-stars, but he makes a massive impact nonetheless. His performance makes a major statement on how leadership shapes the church, and how corruption drives away those who want to legitimately grow their faith. 

The film does show that good people do exist within the world of Christianity through the character of Jud Duplenticy. Jud feels significant remorse for his past actions and wants to be a good priest and a better person. He isn’t perfect, but he has such a heart for others. This doesn’t exactly connect with the people at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, and is yet another sad parallel to modern Christianity. Many people aren’t interested in the selflessness that Jud demonstrates throughout the film, even though that is much closer to Jesus than a lot of what we tend to see from today’s Christians. Thankfully, there are still plenty of people like Jud out there, but they do tend to get overshadowed by the ones that spread hate. The character himself is one of Johnson’s best written, as he has layers and feels incredibly genuine. Jud shows that good can still be done through religion, even if it is a bit more difficult in our current world.

Most of the efficacy of Jud as a character comes from Josh O’Connor’s performance. O’Connor is undoubtedly one of my favorite actors working today as he is versatile and has a magnetic presence in every role I’ve seen of his. Jud definitely ranks among his best work, as he feels like a real person just trying to be better and help others. There is also an urgency to his performance once the mystery begins that fuels the character and he is excellent in his scenes opposite Daniel Craig. His best moment comes in a scene where he and Craig’s Benoit Blanc are calling a construction company to find evidence. It is at first funny, but evolves into a rather sweet moment of the film that reveals so much about Jud as a character. O’Connor is easily the MVP of the film, and his work here is further evidence that he may be one of our best living actors. 

The rest of the ensemble is more of a mixed bag, but some of this is more due to writing than their actual performances. There is a bit of a lopsided focus on the suspects, as we largely focus on just a few of them while the others are minimized. Glenn Close is a clear standout as Martha, a devout church lady. It’s a familiar archetype, but Close breathes life and emotion into the role. She especially shines in the back section of the film, but she is incredibly amusing throughout. Daryl McCormack is quite good as well, playing a right wing influencer with political aspirations. He takes on a specific type of guy that has become a bit more common these days, but never lets him feel like too much of a parody. As for the rest of the cast, Andrew Scott and Thomas Haden Church are pretty good, but get sidelined for much of the film. Cailee Spaeny and Kerry Washington are given hardly anything to work with and are squandered. Jeremy Renner is on auto-pilot a bit for much of the film, but it kind of works given that the character is depressed after his wife left him. The weakest link has to Mila Kunis who feels completely miscast here and is unconvincing as a police chief. Kunis isn’t a bad actor, but she is totally out of her depth here.

As for Daniel Craig, I was a little surprised that he doesn’t pop off the screen as much as he did in the previous Knives Out films. Although, I feel like this is probably by design, as it puts more focus on the film’s themes and allows other characters to shine a little more. Johnson gives Craig a bit of a different mode of Benoit Blanc to play, and he is up for the task. There seems to be a slight sadness to the character that gives him an interesting texture, but Craig still brings the distinct energy we’re accustomed to seeing from him in the role. He does get a little outshined by O’Connor in some moments, but he is still very good here.

If there is anything I can say about Rian Johnson, it is that he never ceases to surprise me. Although each of the Knives Out movies follows the same basic formula, the twists and turns along the way are always effective. With Dead Man, I was worried that I called the big ending twist early on. While my assumption on the twist itself was true, it is revealed about two thirds through the film. From there, I wasn’t sure where we were going or how things would resolve, and I was completely hooked and curious to see where Johnson was taking us. The mystery as a whole is quite well-written, leading to a final reveal that may be a bit convoluted but still works. Johnson is a gifted screenwriter, although some of his dialogue feels a bit pandering at times, and he knows how to spin a yarn when it comes to mysteries. 

Wake Up Dead Man is an improvement over Glass Onion but doesn’t fully reach the heights of the original Knives Out. It comes awfully close though, and is still very intriguing and enjoyable. Its themes strongly resonated with me, and I appreciated that it approaches them with nuance. I would love nothing more to see Rian Johnson make something outside of the Knives Out series again, but I also wouldn’t complain if he continued to deliver more entries in the future. Wake Up Dead Man is yet another great whodunit from Johnson, and will undoubtedly hit with fans of the Knives Out series.

Rating: 4.5/5