_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

In 2019, Rian Johnson brought back the whodunit with Knives Out. It became a staple for annual Thanksgiving watching. Johnson crafted his own unique style while fusing similar conventions from the genre. He tackled family dysfunction and deceit in the first film and then a very secretive group of friends in the sequel, Glass Onion.

Now with Wake Up Dead Man, he takes another stab at a religious community with high regard for changing lives. 

This next mystery follows a young priest, Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), who is sent to assist a charismatic and “godly” Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Jefferson Wicks has the kindness to cater to all walks of life, practicing his priesthood, but has his own motivations within the community he handpicks. 

The supporting cast includes Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Mila Kunis, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Jeffrey Wright, and Glenn Close. Their respective roles contribute to the Catholic narrative of believing in the greater good and, more importantly, miracles. As a result, Brolin becomes a God among men when he makes these faithful promises.

Johnson’s screenplay delves into the definition of good and what that entails in the modern world. What do people have faith in? What will they believe is right? 

These conversations and religious ideologies are examined through Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) and Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as they attempt to identify the suspect behind an impossible murder that rocks the small town. 

Unfortunately for Rian Johnson, the casting made the caper predictable, and the way the story unfolded also exposed the murderer early on. It wasn’t as intricate or entertaining as the previous films because the supporting cast was underutilized. Even if it is predictable, the journey, like the first Knives Out, allowed audiences to be immersed in the mystery.

Johnson’s direction wasn’t as clean-cut and meticulous as the previous films, and sadly, the script lacked the character depth to make memorable characters. 

This cast was too divided, and their investment in the Church was limited to a surface level; there were no objectives to bring them closer together or understand their personal ties to Jefferson Wicks. 

The major downfall, even though O’Connor is talented, was the lack of Benoit Blanc. The supporting cast was underutilized, and Craig had very little to do, hindering Wake Up Dead Man from being as strong as the previous two. It almost didn’t feel like a Knives Out film for that reason, and putting Blanc in the backseat didn’t serve the narrative. 

The saving grace of Wake Up Dead Man was the reveal of the murderer and their conviction. The foundation of the confession and the direction for the scene worked well, which tied everything together. The murderer retells the story from their perspective, which provides the depth needed for one of the characters. 

However, to get to that point, it took longer than one would hope, considering how blatantly obvious the suspect was. Sadly, this cast was underused, and the characters had uninteresting backstories that were never fully expanded on to make the connection to Jefferson Wicks intriguing. 

Unfortunately, for Johnson, the cleverness of the previous two did not translate to this Wake Up Dead Man script, which made for a fairly disappointing addition to the franchise.