Director: Rian Johnson
Writers: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close
Synopsis: Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet. Sequel to ‘Glass Onion (2022)’.
At the world premiere of the latest Knives Out mystery, writer/director Rian Johnson emphasized the fact that whodunits have always varied wildly in both tone and style. In additional regard to his latest mystery, he made note that he wanted to return to the very roots of the genre in the first place. And so, Wake Up Dead Man takes the form of a gothic mystery, from the imagery down to the substance and thematic depth of the film itself. But impressively, Johnson still finds a way to imbue his signature style of razor-sharp comedy into the darkest Knives Out film of the trilogy. It’s all part of a balancing act that has yet to lose its luster on the big screen. This has all the staples of his two previous films, yet here, there’s something potent flowing off the screen. Whereas Glass Onion had quite the mocking tone regarding its target of the ultra-wealthy, Johnson’s latest script comes across as genuinely angry. It’s in this anger that the initial crime stems from; it’s also where many of the punchlines and tensions arise. But it’s in the raw aftermath of the crime which allows Johnson to pivot to a place that’s honestly quite touching. It’s an emotionally deceptive turn that works wonders, but he gets there over time and with such poetic nuance. For films that are very much in-your-face regarding where they pull their structures from, that Johnson can still surprise us with his plotting purely in terms of its layout is a testament to his bold voice and wonderful originality. While this review will not outright spoil any of the intricacies or reveals of Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig obviously!) latest case, it will touch upon some of the themes and ideas Wake Up Dead Man is wrestling with.
One of the most impressive feats Wake Up Dead Man pulls off is its ability to hold Benoit Blanc back for as long as possible. He’s essentially not present for the entire first act of the film. Of course, people show up to these films for the stacked ensemble cast Johnson is able to wrangle together. But refusing to bring forward the man at the center of this entire trilogy for so long is an exciting swing. It shows a well-earned confidence in the story at hand. And with Johnson, it’s the story that keeps his audiences coming back for more. While discussing the film, Johnson brought up the possibility that the audience needing to solve the mystery first may be a myth. Ultimately, what should have an audience wanting to solve a mystery isn’t just the accomplishment that comes with solving it all. It should be rooted in a desire to see justice brought forward amongst a set of characters we have come to admire, or loathe, or feel moved by in some way. In the case of Wake Up Dead Man, Johnson’s latest cast of superstars once again run the gamut as far as emotional relationships with the audience go. Some are built purely for adoration, like Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor). Now, a few of the characters brought to the fold this time around do feel a bit hollow. Some are more akin to caricatures and pure pawns in the mystery rather than complex individuals. But there is still a stand-out Josh Brolin, an all-in Glenn Close performance that captures your attention anytime she’s on screen, and a very silly Andrew Scott role, albeit one that’s quite underutilized. Nevertheless, the screen presence of the cast does still work in the film’s favor. And how we end up feeling about this ensemble by the time the credits roll is all a part of Johnson’s seemingly magic screenplay.
Upon Blanc’s request to be brought up to speed on the first act of the film, he insists the reverend keeps the story moving, keeps the story interesting, and perhaps most importantly, spares no detail. It’s in this aside that feels like Johnson is laying out his most integral rules to follow when writing a script. One of the main throughlines across this trilogy is how rapidly-paced they all are. They never feel rushed, or drawn out, but instead perfectly structured every time. At some point in the film, it almost begins to have the feel of being made up on the fly. (That’s written with complimentary intent.) In all of Blanc’s theatrics, and throughout Johnson’s many twists and turns, we are able to feel the innate brilliance of the screenplay. There’s an electric current running through the very bones of this film. When it’s firing on all cylinders, you genuinely never know what will happen next, which allows Wake Up Dead Man to sing. Johnson understands the whodunit so well that even in its most contrived elements (a cornerstone of the genre) comes an ability to fully believe the events with our hearts and our minds.
For a genre that is nearly 100 years old, Johnson’s ability to rely so heavily on its very foundations while also refreshing it is exciting to watch play out. It shouldn’t matter whether or not you know the result of a whodunit. The best examples within the genre are the ones that still excite despite knowing the outcome. This directly ties back to Johnson’s credo on story needing to be the top priority. It’s in the characters themselves that everything else in the film stems from. A set of compelling character choices is what initiates the shocking plot. The interiority of these characters is what drives the powerful interrogations and observations surrounding the themes most integral to this film. And the way Johnson mocks and skewers the state of modern conservatism is all in how he has written these characters to act. Benoit Blanc feels like Johnson’s vessel to directly play with the structures of storytelling and theatrics he loves most. But it’s in his ever-growing ensembles that his ideas about the rest of the world are allowed to flourish and be reckoned with in real time. In the case of this film, it’s his reckoning with the necessity of organized religion and emotional manipulation that rings the most personally.
Having grown up in a religious household but no longer practicing, Johnson admitted to his complicated feelings surrounding religion. Within the two priests of Wake Up Dead Man do his thoughts on the topic clash against one another. Johnson writes Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Brolin) as a majorly radical figure. He uses his status over the small flock of churchgoers to isolate them from not just their community, but modern times overall. Despite Brolin effectively portraying this character through the most maximalist of performances, it’s not a stretch to say much subtler methods are used by church leaders across the globe to achieve the same goal. Wake Up Dead Man has no qualms with calling out the exploitative nature of such an organization, whether it be financially, ethically, or spiritually. On the other hand, Johnson writes O’Connor’s reverend with such tenderness. There’s something deeply pure about O’Connor’s performance; there’s a softness present in both his gaze and his voice. In one particularly striking sequence midway through the film, Johnson practically pauses the plot to showcase one of the many benefits faith can have amongst people. It’s one of many touching sequences peppered throughout the film. In them, Johnson uses all his skills as both a writer and director to illustrate the flipside of Brolin’s harsh command of the film. In the counterbalance these two opposing forces provide arrives the varied shades of truth Wake Up Dead Man lives within. One of the most repeated motifs in the film is how it plays with light and darkness. Visually, the lighting will sometimes radically shift throughout the duration of a scene, shifting from radiant light to ominous darkness in a matter of seconds. That both can co-exist within the same hallowed space shows Johnson’s clever ability to depict several contradictions simultaneously, yet all the while still have them fit neatly and organically into the great puzzle of his latest mystery.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is celebrating its World premiere in the Special Presentations category of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
