It’s been three years since the last Knives Out instalment dropped on Netflix. Now Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) and director and writer Rian Johnson are back for another mystery. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is a young priest who is reassigned to a remote parish in upstate New York. There, he must work together with Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) who is equal parts charming as he is threatening. When someone dies under puzzling circumstances, Benoit Blanc finds himself on the scene.
The original Knives Out is one of my favorite films of all time. I’ve seen it a handful of times and always recommend it to people when they are looking for something to watch. Glass Onion, its predecessor which came out in 2022, was slightly more wacky, but still highly entertaining. To say that Wake Up Dead Man was one of my most anticipated films of the year is an understatement. I could not wait to see what Blanc would be up to this time. While I did enjoy the film, I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed with it too.
One of the major draws of this franchise is its stacked cast. Craig is back for his third outing and he’s just as iconic as usual. My only qualm was that he didn’t come in until the fortieth minute mark! I definitely think he could have been introduced much earlier on. This is hands down O’Connor’s shining moment and boy does he take it. With a perfect mix of innocence and determination to clear his name as being suspect, he truly delivered. Glenn Close portrayed Martha Delacroix, a devoted servant to the church. She was fabulous yet slightly unhinged in her role and I found myself looking forward to whenever she would be on screen.
Unfortunately there were so many other characters who we just didn’t get the chance to know very well. Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church and Mila Kunis were all well casted. Because they didn’t have much backstory, they were just kind of there instead of seeming like real people. In the previous films we got to know who everyone was and each seemed suspicious. This time around some of the talent was wasted.
While I did appreciate the locked room element of the story, I’ll admit to getting lost in the religious themes. This, combined with the slower pace, and the fact that some of the scenes were just so drawn out made it hard for me to stay invested. Also, unlike in the previous films, there was no exciting reveal and it just kind of fell flat.
Overall, Wake Up Dead Man is my least favorite of the Knives Out trilogy. The cast were great, but I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high, I don’t know. I appreciate Johnson wanting to do something different, but I was missing the thrill that the first two brought to me.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️
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