Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet.
Rian Johnson’s third entry in his ‘Knives Out‘ whodunnit series welcomes back Daniel Craig’s eccentric Southern detective Benoit Blanc for another murder mystery – one that feels closer in spirit to the first film than its flashier successor. In ‘Wake Up Dead Man‘, we’re transported to the small-town community of Chimney Rock in upstate New York, where a killing inside a church casts immediate suspicion on a recently arrived Reverend (Josh O’Connor), who has already managed to clash with the Monsignor and several parishioners.
As with the previous films, Johnson assembles an ensemble of familiar faces, each a plausible suspect, before plunging into a twisty narrative that nods to the series’ Agatha Christie roots while still crafting a mystery with plenty of fresh bite. All the ingredients that made the earlier entries so enjoyable are here – quirky characters, clever rug-pulls, and an entertainingly outsized Daniel Craig (dialled back just a touch this time) – with the added strength of Josh O’Connor’s soulful performance anchoring the story. The cast includes Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Thomas Haden Church and Josh Brolin, and Johnson ensures each gets a moment to shine.
I’ve enjoyed both previous ‘Knives Out‘ films, though ‘Glass Onion‘ sometimes succumbed to the sequel temptation to go bigger simply because it could. In that sense, this more grounded, small-town setting, centered largely around the church and its grounds, feels like a welcome course correction. The genuinely nuanced discussions on faith weren’t something I expected, but they work surprisingly well, enriching the plot and giving Johnson new thematic territory to play with.
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘ is a thoroughly enjoyable third chapter, and as long as Johnson maintains this level of writing and continues attracting casts of this calibre, I’ll happily keep showing up for a new instalment every few years.
Rating: 4/5
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church
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