Puñales por la espalda: De entre los muertos

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.

Absolutely brilliant, from the info-packed in-media-res letter, to the acute socio-political implications, to the tortuous twists and developments, to the holy light thrice reilluminating the children of Christ. Director and writer Rian Johnson proves not once, not twice, but three times why he is the master of murder mystery in modern cinema through Knives Out, Glass Onion, and lastly, Wake Up Dead Man.

Right off the bat, the flippant and distressing strings, the grandiose and stage-like architecture, and the group of storyful suspects immediately take us back into the Knives Out universe. Yet, unlike the first's unorthodox unfolding of truth or the second's unexpected shadow investigator, Wake Up Dead Man is a downright conventional Agatha Christie detective, with the puzzle's structure and intricacy reminiscent of Honkaku mysteries and an added undertone of Edgar Allan Poe's gothic influence. Needless to say, this is the biggest mystery of the trilogy, whether its span over several decades, the heavy involvement of every character, or the multiple twists while we're still clueless about the first. And yet, this colossal mist of impossibility also makes Blanc's field investigation and deduction even more thrilling and engaging, as the audience ventures along with the detective in decrypting the unreliable narrations and myths.

The backstory of the case also differentiates it from the previous two, not just stemming from a simple conflict of interest, but fundamental hatred, whether greed or pride-induced or interpersonal and impulsive. In a world where hatred is so calcified, institutionalized, and weaponized, Wake Up Dead Man preaches cordiality and sincerity through the saintly Jud. Bravo to Rian Johnson and Josh O'Connor for pulling off the incredible phone call scene, where our sentimental and dubious protagonist becomes the undeniable hero through his "save the cat" moment. Religion is such a difficult element to incorporate because it can't be satirized or trifled with like old/new money, politics, and the entertainment industry in the previous two films; even with 2025 years of Catholicism, Johnson still boldly gives his interpretation of religion, landing on storytelling and its power to heal (an amazing callback and contrast to the use of narrative trickery in the murder). In the end, as the cliche but extremely touching death-in-the-arm scene moralizes, we must see "Grace" in the harl*t wh*re - hate, but don't take grudge. That is the true inheritance of Christ.

Despite my disinterest in nowadays spin-offs and sequels, the Knives Out Mysteries is the one saga I would like to see continue. Definitely a film I'd recommend and definitely one I'd rewatch.

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.

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.