Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return with Wake Up Dead Man, the third outing for Benoit Blanc, and while it delivers another stylish, character-driven mystery, it doesn’t quite hit the same sweet spot as Knives Out or Glass Onion.
Wake Up Dead Man sees Blanc heading to a small church in Upstate NY, whose firebrand pastor, Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), has been killed in a seemingly impossible crime. Since he was the only one on the altar with Wicks, assistant pastor Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is the main suspect, but, in true Benoit Blanc mystery fashion, any of the church’s die-hard parishioners could be behind the crime.
Daniel Craig once again brings depth and sly humor to Blanc, whose Southern-fried Columbo-style of investigation always spots the smallest detail or omission from a suspect. Josh Brolin is terrific as the blustery, rage-fueled Wicks, a clear analogue for Trump, who uses anger and fear to keep his followers mad and in line. Glenn Close is easily the biggest standout of the ensemble as Grace, whose loyalty to Wicks and the church borders on psychotic, and Josh O’Connor turns in a layered, engaging performance as Pastor Jud, who has the crazy idea that religion should offer people compassion and hope instead of anger and fear. He has a dopey likeability that makes you root for him pretty much right from the start. Mila Kunis is also fun as the exasperated town sheriff who initially calls in Blanc but grows increasingly frustrated as the case goes unsolved. Compared to the previous films, the rest of the supporting cast feels a bit undercooked. Part of the fun of this series has always been its lineup of colorful suspects, and here, a number of the side characters simply don’t pop to me the way some of the characters did in earlier entries, even though you have actors like Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, and Jeremy Renner in those roles.
Maybe even more so than the other movies in the series, Wake Up Dead Man leans heavily into satire and social commentary. Between the send-up of right-wing political culture and the ruminations on the role of the church/religion in people’s lives, the social commentary sometimes overshadows the mystery itself, and I feel it’s probably preaching to the choir for the primary audience who enjoys this series. As a result, Benoit Blanc winds up on the sidelines more than expected, and it even takes him about an hour into the movie to show up. When he is front and center, investigating, interrogating, and piecing things together, the film is at its sharpest and funniest—there just should have been a bit more of that.
As usual from Rian Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man is dripping in style. Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yedlin craft a dark, moody, almost gothic look that’s a significant shift as the movie trades old rural churches and dark forests for the bright island paradise of Glass Onion. The film is shot beautifully with some standout, iconic shots, and its sometimes bleak, foreboding tone gives this installment a unique vibe in the series.
Wake Up Dead Man may not be the strongest mystery in the Benoit Blanc films, but it’s definitely still worth watching for fans of the series. My preference is for more of the mystery/whodunnit plot and less of the social commentary and satire, but it should still satisfy those looking for a new, twisty murder mystery on Netflix.
