Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Review – A Remarkable Mystery!

I hope Rian Johnson keeps making Knives Out franchise films. There’re tons of potential, and he’s the man to clearly unveil said potential. This is the third film in this movie series, and despite the return of Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, we once again have a fresh new cast. Instead of family infighting or an island retreat-gone-wrong, the newest community congregate around a church rooted in corruption. Reverend Jud is thrown into the mix, and an elaborate plot of murder and mischief pits him at the center of conspiracy.

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At this point, it’s not new for Johnson to shock and bewilder the audience with twists and reveals of these murder mysteries. I like how he can structure the plot in which each revelation is interesting and continuously tests these characters.

Jud fills the same role as Marta and Helen from the previous two movies, fulfilling the position of the protagonist with personal baggage. Benoit Blanc always steals the spotlight with the ostentatious antics found within Daniel Craig’s acting.

Outside of Benoit, Jud is the most compelling character introduced in the newest Wake Up Dead Man, bolstered by a solid performance by Josh O’Connor. Keeping with tradition, Johnson’s sharp-tongued writing pairs well with elaborate editing practices to veil key details and send the audience in a suspension of disbelief.

Furthermore, I think the mystery at hand with Wake Up Dead Man competes for the most interesting of the films so far, as the resolution and the climax becomes more obfuscated and deliberately vague and thrilling along the way.

Where I think this Rian Johnson short in comparison to its companions is with its supporting cast. I loved the variety of the characters in the last two films, but aside from Jud and Josh Brolin’s Monsignor Wicks, the newly introduced characters were rather not memorable. The relevance and liveliness of the casts from the previous movies were far more present, adding much more allure and thrill to the mystery.

All in all, Wake Up Dead Man carries on the Knives Out franchise with tremendous strides. While it’s not my favorite of the three, Rian Johnson finds a remarkable mystery that he can build an enjoyable film experience around.

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Rating – 4/5

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