Wake up, mystery movie lovers! Three years since the arrival of the previous installment, the Knives Out franchise returned with the release of Wake Up Dead Man on November 26, which is now streaming on Netflix. Following its predecessors Knives Out and Glass Onion, Wake Up Dead Man sees the thrilling return of private investigator Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, to the big screen.
Set in upstate New York, Wake Up Dead Man follows ex-boxer-turned-priest Father Jud Duplenticy as he settles into his new life at the Church of Perpetual Fortitude, located in the fictional town of Chimney Rock. As he spends more time interacting with the townspeople, Father Jud learns about the radical leader of the church, Monsignor Wicks, and his eccentric followers, including Martha, the Monsignor’s devoted assistant; Simone, a former cellist who hopes to heal her chronic illness through worship and Cy, an aspiring politician who has turned to religious extremism.
Father Jud finds himself as the prime suspect of a murder when Monsignor is spotted dead after retreating to a storage room onstage during a church service, having been stabbed by a devil’s head lamp attachment that Father Jud had previously stolen from the town bar. The town is dumbfounded: no one else was in the storage room when the Monsignor died. Yet, because Father Jud was the only other person onstage at the same time, the townspeople are determined to put him behind bars.
Private investigator Blanc soon arrives at the crime scene, but before investigating, he makes a strange request: he asks Father Jud to assist him in his investigation. Soon, the pair find themselves tangled up in much more than they had expected. During this journey, family secrets are revealed, past squabbles resurface and hidden relationships are uncovered, contributing to a thrilling watch.
Wake Up Dead Man does an excellent job of planting ambiguous clues that could be interpreted in many ways, leaving the audience constantly wondering who the true killer is as they follow the investigation. Aoife Bourke (I) comments, “There are so many little hints that you think lead it to be one person, and then it just completely flips. […] It’s really hard to guess what’s coming next, which I think is the best part of a [mystery] movie.”
Throughout the film, various pieces of the puzzle are brought to light, including the devil’s head lamp attachment, a jewel box passed down through the Wicks family and a flask that the Monsignor owned. Some of the evidence is explained and resolved temporarily, but the film weaves together each aspect of the crime into a narrative that is delightful to watch.
Andy Yu (I), who has seen the previous two Knives Out films, notes, “[The plot twist] felt refreshingly concealed and the clues are there for a second watch. I think that’s something really distinctive about Knives Out, [and] […] that it’s worth rewatching.”
Compared to its predecessors in the series, this film presents a more interactive experience. In Glass Onion, Detective Blanc is directly involved in the case after being thrust into a murder mystery. In both Knives Out and Wake Up Dead Man, however, Blanc serves as an outsider exploring the case, and the audience is able to solve the crime with Blanc, allowing it to be more immersive and enjoyable.
The film also touches on topics relevant to real life, including both religious extremism and the strength that people find in religion. Director of Wake Up Dead Man Rian Johnson, who was inspired by his own experiences with Christianity, comments, “The notion of actually having a real conversation about faith that wasn’t reductive or didactic but was actually […] talking about it in the context of a big, entertaining, fun murder mystery […] seemed like a great challenge.”
With its witty humor, carefully crafted storyline and excellent acting, Wake Up Dead Man is the perfect whodunnit movie to watch with family and friends this winter.
