Wake Up, Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Spoiler Free Review)

 What an apt movie name to revive this blog with, huh?

Hey guys.

I started this blog when I was 15, obsessed with movies and regularly reading and writing. Now I am 23, with three degrees, no job, just a handful of dreams. So, I've decided to get back into full-time writing on my own. I will be posting here, on my Substack, and Medium. Hopefully, this works out. That said, here's what I thought of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. 

Poster for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Netflix

The film is the third in the Knives Out film franchise, written and directed by Rian Johnson, starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc, and shot by cinematographer Steve Yedlin. The film follows Blanc as he travels to upstate New York when a Monsignor (Josh Brolin) is murdered in a wooden booth with no entrances or exits. The film also stars Josh O' Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy, who is the prime suspect in the case. Blanc must race against time to prove his innocence. 

Unlike the previous two Knives Out films, this one is a more straightforward murder mystery. The first one was a genre subversion, and the second one unfolded like a mystery board game; this one is a classical whodunnit. The film is a solid 144 minutes, but breezes by like nobody's business. As always, Johnson depicts highly caricatured versions of very real people, yet somehow manages to make them feel authentic. Everyone either knows someone like them, or knows of someone like the people that populate his films. This also makes these films incredibly relevant and poignant about what they have to say. This also provides for powerful satire through these films.

Which brings me to my favourite thing about this film: the writing. The film has some compelling conversations about what faith means to people, the nature of belief, and how evil men use the guise of religion to mask horrid things. This is nothing profound like First Reformed or Silence, but is something new and relevant. The film lets you breathe with it, introducing all the characters and laying the groundwork before Blanc even sets foot on screen.

However, it is not without its flaws. I mentioned Steve Yedlin because he really changed the game with the first Knives Out movie. The film looks fantastic, with its film grain aesthetic. The second film also looks fantastic, with its tropical, sunbaked aesthetic. This one looks... alright? It does some interesting things with sunlight while harkening to the concept of Catholic enlightenment, but it looks quite dull. It looks like an average Netflix crime documentary. It's serviceable but not spectacular. With the theme of religion, I feel like it could have been more grandiose, but alas. Each shot is composed satisfactorily, but I do not think it rewards attentive viewers like the other two films do.

Josh O' Connor and Daniel Craig in still from Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Netflix

At the center of this film is Josh O'Connor, who has the most amount of screentime and who gives a phenomenal performance. He stands out, displaying a great range with particular ease. Josh Brolin is also fantastic as the Monsignor. He's been having a great run playing hateable characters in Weapons and The Running Man. Daniel Craig is having immense fun playing Benoit Blanc, and his energy is infectious. It is impossible not to smile when he says something positively convoluted in his southern drawl. 

Overall, while it often feels like Johnson is on autopilot with this one, it is still a very entertaining watch. I highly recommend you watch this film.

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