Wake Up Dead Man

I saw this movie on the opening night of the Philadelphia Film Festival, which explains why I saw it before it will be released to Netflix in November.

"Wake Up Dead Man" is pretty typical of Rian Johnson's two previous Knives Out films. First, it has a pretty amazing cast. Second, it does make fun of MAGA people. And, third, it's terrific is pretty much every way.

The setting for this one is most unusual...a small, dying Catholic church. But once Father Jud Duplenticy arrives at this new post, he's shocked to see that the Monsignor is evil and has created a small, nasty clique or cult within his dying congregation. The common thing that binds these people is a general hatred for mankind...making it not exactly the nicest church you could attend. As a result, the well meaning and decent Father is stumped as to what to do...and it's made worse when the Monsignor physically assaults him and encourages his cult to hate the Father! So, it's not at all surprising when the Monsignor is found murdered during a church service...and it appears is if the killing was impossible. This is where Benoit Blanc enters the story and, frankly, he's really stumped!

The writing and acting are just about perfect. Some might dislike the film because they might see it as an attack on religion, though I think this isn't necessarily fair. The Father IS a good man...the sort Rian Johnson seemed to indicate he wishes he had growing up in an evangelical household (we heard about this during the Q&A following the film). All in all, a most enjoyable film....one I nearly scored a 10.

I had to keep watching till the end because I was already invested! But it was much too long and it felt like overly long Agatha Christy novel. Some of the characters were interesting and some just felt like fillers. There are movies out there that you want to watch over and over again, but that wasn't the case this time for me.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a fine third iteration of the classic whodunnit mystery within the Knives Out franchise.

To review this film, you have to either write a lengthy passage reflecting on all the themes the film shines light on, or make it short and simple. I'll go simple on this one.

The script is just an imprint of Rian Johnson's thoughts and style. And since supposedly nobody was keeping Rian at bay, the first probably 30 minutes of the film felt unhinged when it comes to humor and satire. The film almost turned into a meta-comedy in the second act, but still managed to get back to the mystery it was intended to untangle.

The story was a classic Rian Johnson's one with excessive childish humor, lots of callbacks and nods to other franchises, constant attempt at subverting the viewer's expectations.

At the same time, it had lots of interesting political, personal and religious themes discussed, like (obviously) faith, religion, moral values and personal choices, greed, manipulation, power and politics, media and social interactions. While Rian surely wanted to have fresh characters and not basic stereotypes, some of them were still loosely connected to the story if at all, and felt more like tokens with traits attached rather than characters. The plot was well-constructed, but few scenes still felt like the plot was giving itself a push forward after stumbling and loosing it's focus.

Some might say that the film bashes on religion (especially in the first 30 minutes), but didn't find the film offensive in this way. The ending perfectly shows the respect given to genuine faith and canonical moral values.

The cast managed to deliver great performances with no exceptions, probably due to good direction, although in my opinion Andrew Scott was just underused, really needed more of him in this film.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a prefect blend of political, religious and other personal themes, wrapped into classic Johnson's excessive whodunnit buffoonery. A solid 8/10, thank you, Rian Johnson.

Before diving into the murder mystery aspect, I want to take a moment and acknowledge the commentary done on faith here.

A double-edged sword; on one side, it can uplift those in need and pain, guiding them toward better decisions and encouraging repentance. However, it can also be twisted and misused for selfish gains, leading some to become radicalised, blinded by anger and driven by greed and hate.

Now, turning back to the main story, while it certainly captivates and offers suspense in certain moments, the final twist doesn't deliver the punch that a good "whodunnit" should.

And I feel the primary issue lies in the lack of a compelling ensemble who would fit according to the situation being dealt with.

In narratives like this, it's essential for each character to have a strong, distinct identity, allowing the audience to continuously speculate and second-guess who the real culprit might be. When the cast fails to spark curiosity or engage the viewers, the whole experience feels diminished, ultimately undermining the story's intent.

With the exceptions of Blanc, Martha and Jud, the rest failed to make their cases heard, utterly forgettable on every front.

Fr. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is a young priest reassigned to a remote parish where Monsignor Jefferson Wicks presides with a combination of theatrical flair and spiritual manipulation, a style the Church higher-ups deeply disapprove of. Jud arrives already uneasy about Jefferson's practices and it doesn't take long before the two clash openly. A few days later, Jefferson collapses and dies inside a small viewing chamber during a church service, with the entire congregation present and all of them potential suspects.

The Knives Out films have always thrived on sharp characterization and clever, layered mysteries but here, the bigger the cast gets, the thinner the story becomes. The first two hours drag like a penance. Conversations stretch forever without payoff; the extended talk between Jud and Louise feels like pure filler, aiming for quirky humor but landing somewhere between awkward and irrelevant. Even the early "boo!" moments with Glenn Close suddenly popping into frame, clearly meant to be funny, play like a desperate attempt to generate a laugh.

Josh O'Connor commits fully, but he's stranded in scenes that don't know what tone they're aiming for. The ensemble is vast, colorful and utterly underused, a recurring problem as the franchise inflates itself.

The film finally wakes up when Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) begins unraveling the mystery. For a brief moment, it feels like the sharp old magic is returning. And then... he just stops. The momentum dies, and the movie pivots into a last-minute plot twist followed by a long, talky explanation that feels like the cinematic equivalent of being shown the answer key after the exam is already over. It's not clever, it's an apology disguised as a finale.

There are bright spots: the production design is gorgeous, the supporting cast has bursts of fun and Craig is still an absolute delight whenever he enters detective mode. But the script is overloaded with empty dialogue, undercooked ideas and humor that never quite lands.

Not terrible, just underwhelming, especially for a franchise that once felt so sharp.