Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: Rian Johnson’s third Agatha Christie inspired whodunnit makes for a compelling watch!

Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close and an ensemble of talented actors, Wake Up Dead Man will keep you solving the mystery right till the end!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: After Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), Rian Johnson is back to add to the popular murdery mystery franchise with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The film, as always, has an all new ensemble, a new whodunnit plot but the same Agatha Christie spookiness and the same detective aka Benoit Blanc played by the strikingly charming Daniel Craig to solve the mystery. For the third installment, Johnson sets the story in a gothic church that brings in the right vibe to make this a cozy murdery mystery to watch on a winter night.

The main man of this story is Father Jud (Josh O’Connor), an ex-boxer with a violent past who found solace in God. After being shifted to a new church, he realises that settling here is not going to be easy. The church was already led by Monsignor Wicks(Josh Brolin), a short-tempered, hypocritical priest who loved controlling the few people who came to his church. He had a church housekeeper, Martha(Glenn Close), who was super mysterious and Samson(Thomas Haden Church), a church groundsman who was in love with Martha. Wicks’ little flock of people who visited the church every week included boozy doctor Nat(Jeremy Renner), failing author, Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), sharp-tongued lawyer, Vera(Kerry Washington), wannabe politician, Cy(Daryl McCormack) and wheelchair bound cellist (Cailee Spaeny). The fate of an already disturbed church is turned upside down when Monsignor Wicks drops dead inside a closet by the altar, out of sight from everyone who was present at the Good Friday mass.

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Geraldine Scott(Mila Kunis), the police officer, reaches the crime scene and eventually Benoit Blanc joins the case to help her find who could be responsible for this murder. On paper, Wicks’ death seems like an impossible situation. He was found all by himself inside a closet with the door open, with Father Jud being the only one to have a sight on him. But it wouldn’t be a Knives Out mystery without a case that looks unsolvable. The story since the incident keeps you guessing who it could possibly be. Would we be smart enough to notice something that even the great detective Benoit Blanc hasn’t? As the plot thickens further, a lot about the Church’s past and Wicks’ family history unfolds and that plays a huge role into the motive of the crime. 

Just like we cannot imagine anybody but Kenneth Branagh playing Hercules Poirot,Daniel Craig has become the face to the name Benoit Blanc. With each film, he keeps getting better and better as the character and keeps us invested in the story as the detective. The ensemble cast in the third chapter is what makes this one a better watch than the previous Knives Out mystery on yacht. Josh O’Connor as the innocent priest who sees the good even in the evil, Glenn Close’s eeriness in her eyes, a greedy Jeremy Renner and a desperate Andrew Scott, add so much nuance to their characters and really are in the room with each other while playing out a scene.

In the 2 hours 20 minutes run time, the movie lays out some really clever clues along with some immaculate lighting and architecture that elevate the storytelling further. Without giving away spoilers, the climax and the truth of how the murder really occurs is something that you will not expect coming your way and maybe that’s all you need to know to give this one a watch!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is currently streaming on Netflix!

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