“We’re with you, Monsignor. And literally nothing you say or do is going to change that.”
Mystery fans everywhere can rejoice — “Knives Out” is finally back. Rian Johnson’s iconic whodunnit franchise, known for its sharp social commentary, tends to dissect a different element of American privilege and hypocrisy in each film. This time, modern Christianity is in the hot seat.
Where “Knives Out” touches on ignorance about the immigrant experience from both ends of the American political spectrum and “Glass Onion” satirizes greedy billionaires of the Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk variety, the newest installment in Johnson’s franchise, “Wake Up Dead Man,” tackles the ever-relevant topic of MAGA Christians, and how the phrase itself functions as an oxymoron.
To get the obvious out of the way, Daniel Craig (“Skyfall”) returns as Benoit Blanc, the Southern detective and staple character of the “Knives Out” series. The threequel also stars Josh O’Connor (“Challengers”) as our newest Blanc companion: Reverend Jud Duplenticy, a young priest and ex-boxer who turned to Christianity to save himself from his troubled and violent past. The two team up to solve the seemingly impossible murder of beloved church leader Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin, “Weapons”) — who also happens to be the reverend’s abusive boss.
The film focuses on two perspectives of Christianity — the monsignor’s hateful and ignorant rhetoric and the reverend’s belief in forgiveness and empathy for all, not only those who fit into a preconceived idea of who is and is not deserving of our kindness.
“Wake Up Dead Man” explores how many Christians bastardize and manipulate Jesus’ teachings to excuse an ideologically (and often, physically) violent agenda. The film’s title appears to reference Jesus Christ himself, seemingly pleading for faith to return to its original intentions of saving sinners and acting as a safe haven for the lost and the needy — not a “get out of jail free” card for the powerful and privileged to use when they’ve acted immorally. The film critiques those who abuse their power, spreading hate in the name of a “Christian” moral agenda — of which Jesus’ teachings were in direct opposition. Those who use propaganda and fear tactics to coerce others in joining a hateful witch hunt — often with a loyalty bordering on obsession.
While the ideology of “Wake Up Dead Man” is ever-relevant, the film is not without its flaws — its handling of another staple of the Knives Out franchise, for example. Each film in the series features a star-studded ensemble cast; “Wake Up Dead Man” stars Kerry Washington (“Scandal”), Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), Glenn Close (“Fatal Attraction”), Jeremy Renner (“The Town”), Andrew Scott (“Fleabag”) and Mila Kunis (“Black Swan”).
Although the cast is obviously very strong, composed exclusively of highly decorated actors, “Wake Up Dead Man” often fails to use this talented cast to their full potential. While the performances themselves are incredible, especially (and unsurprisingly) those of Close and O’Connor, Johnson’s clear attempts to make each character well-rounded aren’t always enough to make an audience truly care. This works differently from the original “Knives Out,” where the film’s secondary characters each felt complicated and engaging enough to stand on their own while also giving each actor plenty of material to work with.
The issue with “Wake Up Dead Man” might not have been a problem if the film was able to bolster the lack of “Knives Out”-level depth with comedy. However, while there are more than enough comedic moments to keep the film’s sense of humor alive, “Wake Up Dead Man” is missing the pure comedic charm brought to “Glass Onion” by Kate Hudson (“How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days”), Kathryn Hahn (“The Studio”) and Madelyn Cline (“The Map that Leads to You”) that could have compensated for its characters being less engaging than those of the original.
In spite of this, I will give “Wake Up Dead Man” a certain amount of grace. To be a sequel to “Knives Out” is to be the younger sibling of a Harvard-bound piano prodigy — nothing it does will ever feel quite good enough. And that’s not Johnson’s fault. Competing with a modern-day whodunnit that both satirizes and perfectly encapsulates its own genre all while subverting expectations and delivering a mid-movie genre flip that switches back right in time for an audience to leave feeling both dumbfounded and satisfied? That’s not for the faint of heart.
In fact, from a more technical filmmaking perspective, “Wake Up Dead Man” is incredibly well-rounded. Steve Yedlin’s (“Brick”) cinematography works beautifully. Yedlin plays around with lighting to highlight the juxtaposition between the darkness with which Christianity has become synonymous and the light it was originally meant to inspire. The set design of the film also plays a major role in the film’s visual storytelling, using a castle-esque church exterior and a bare sanctuary to paint the church and its leader as overbearing and cold — qualities that directly oppose Duplenticy’s views of what Christianity should be. This helps to paint the Blanc companion’s views in a more heroic light, highlighting the perspective on Christianity and its core values with which Johnson wants his audience to walk away.
“Wake Up Dead Man” may not be “Knives Out,” but it’s certainly an excellent mystery film full of twists and turns that make it more than worth a watch. Whether you’re a movie theater truther or a watch-from-home warrior, theaters and Netflix alike have you covered.
Managing Arts Editor Olivia Tarling can be reached at tarling@umich.edu.
