By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
RIAN JOHNSON'S THIRD "MYSTERY" IS DARK FUN
Director/screenwriter
Rian Johnson's "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" finds Benoit Blanc (the dapper Daniel Craig, "Narnia" and "Glass Onion") returning for his third outing, but this time the Southern-fried private detective wanders into territory far bleaker than the franchise has attempted before, and that bold shift largely pays off.
Gone are the fizzy, pop-bright pleasures of "Knives Out" and the sun-soaked satire of "Glass Onion." Instead, Johnson embraces a mordant, almost Gothic comic sensibility that feels like a deliberate evolution rather than a detour. It's a sharp left turn that may surprise fans expecting breezier antics, but once the film settles into its moody groove, the darker humor reveals new layers of wit, tension, and depth. The fun here is still very much present, just pricklier, stranger, and more rewarding if you're patient.
Craig again anchors the film with a pitch-perfect blend of swagger, melancholy, and self-aware theatricality. Rian Johnson surrounds him with one of his richest ensembles yet, and several actors make the most of their screen time.
Josh O'Connor ("The Mastermind") plays young priest Father Jud Duplenticy, and brings a wiry unpredictability that energizes the mystery. He carries some emotional baggage and a temper, remnants of his former boxing days.
After he decks a deacon during a heated disagreement, he apologizes to Bishop Langstrom (a terrific Jeffrey Wright, "Highest 2 Lowest"), who gives him a second chance but reassigns him to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, a small parish in upstate New York populated by a strange but loyal crew.
Leading the way is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (a funny Josh Brolin, "The Running Man"), whose peculiar style of worship keeps everyone slightly off-balance. At his side is the church's business leader, Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping").
The congregation also includes beer-chugging, baseball-loving handyman Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church, "Legend of the Happy Worker"); sickly cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny, "Alien: Romulus 2"); sharp-minded attorney Vera Draven (the talented Kerry Washington, "The Six Triple Eight") and her adopted brother Cy (Daryl McCormack, "Twisters"), an influencer, videographer, and failed politician.
In addition, there is sci-fi writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott, "Blue Moon"), increasingly anxious as his career slips away; and Dr. Nat Sharp (a fun Jeremy Renner, TV's "Mayor of Kingstown"), who hasn't been the same since his wife Darla (Nicola Hughes, "Death in Paradise") left him.
When one of these parishioners turns up dead, Benoit Blanc, and local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis, "The 47 Night Stand") arrive to try and unravel the mystery and determine who among this eccentric flock is the killer.
Glenn Close steals every scene she's in with a brisk, dry wit that cuts through the gloom like a spotlight. While the movie's commitment to its darker streak occasionally slows its momentum, it doesn't derail it. Johnson's plotting remains clever. The humor is still sharp, and the film's willingness to embrace its stranger impulses gives it a personality distinct from the earlier installments.
Some moments that initially feel muted ultimately build toward richer payoffs, revealing a screenplay more interested in slow-burn surprises than showy twists.
"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" is a strange, shadowy delight and one that may not charm everyone instantly but, shines and cuts through in the end.
"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives out Mystery" begins streaming on
Netflix Dec. 12.
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Check Out This Trailer For
"WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
