Since he first wordlessly threw off members of the Thromby clan by simply hitting a single key on a piano, famed, verbose detective Benoit Blanc has become something of a cosy, semi-regular, winter tradition. Bolstered by a booming southern accent that would put Foghorn Leghorn to shame and a love for theatricality that would appall Ms. Marple, the nattily dressed brainchild of both Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig has since cracked two fiendishly devious cases since 2019 that entertainingly both twisted and turned like a bullwhip. However, with a new mystery to solve in Wake Up Dead Man, we find the series opting to take something of a tonal shift as we find it surrounding itself with wintery, gothic vibes as opposed the the autumnal vibes of Knives Out and the blazing sun of Glass Onion.
But does a more sombre mood mean that Benoit Blac will also follow suit and tone down the poolside fashion and utterances of the word “buttress”? Well, yes – but the filmmakers know what they’re doing. You just have to have faith.
Reverend Jud Duplenticy is a man of God with a volatile past. Turning to the faith after his earlier boxing career left a man Dead in the ring, his desire to spread the word of the Lord has been sorely tested after his boxing instincts flared up again after an altercation with a rude deacon and caused him to knock him out. As “punishment” Jud is sent to up state New York to join the church of Our Lady Of Perpetual Fortitude under the gaze of the wilful Monsignor Jefferson Wicks; but while the young Reverend is excited for this opportunity, he soon finds that Wicks and his cabal of brown nosers are very much the opposite of the kind of message Jud wants to preach.
For a start, the controlling Wicks is less a shepherd than a bully, delivering enraged, bitter sermons that’s seen his flock dramatically shrink faster than a woolly jumper washed at the wrong temperature; but once you get to meet his inner circle of bootlickers, things get even worse as we discover that they are all flawed, petty, self important examples of humanity who follow Wicks because it serves their personal agendas. Of course, with so many secrets flying around between them, something is bound to sour sooner or later and thanks to the revival of a scandal that revolved around Wicks’ father, something is triggered that sees the Monsignor stabbed in the back while recuperating in a nearby storage closet while recuperating after a particularly spirited sermon.
However, with no way in or out other than the main opening and the doorway being in full view of the horrified congregation, what we seem to have is an impossible murder – cue Benoit Blanc, obviously, who shows up out of the blue to work his magic and sift through this den of snakes to see who the killer could be. By while all the evidence seems to point to Jud, another issue Blac seems to have is that his atheist leanings seem to be at odds with the caring Reverend. By God, what’s to do?
While Glass Onion was hugely entertaining, there was a slight sense that Benoit Blanc’s second rodeo seemed to misunderstand the assignment a little. While the bright blues, garish characters and bombastic ending seemed to be a reaction to the fall-set subtlety of Knives Out, it seemed to be that the franchise was starting to make the same mistakes of how the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies treated Captain Jack Sparrow by seemingly making Blanc the main character when he is merely the star. By this I mean that the first film essentially has its entire world already built up with Benoit only entering as an outsider, and it was Ana de Armas’ gastrointestinal goodie, Marta, who the film truly focused on. While Glass Onion also had its incorruptible leading light in the form of Janelle Monáe’s Helen Brand, it also pushed Blanc and his striking collection of ascots more to the forefront, when he works best extravagantly pontificating from just off centre.
With the far more sombre tone of Wake Up Dead Man, we find Johnson steering things back more in line with the first film, swapping gorgeous beaches and self-serving décor with gothic churches and leafy surroundings and placing his newest, endearingly honest lead at the beating heart of this latest mystery. In fact, Daniel Craig’s sleuth doesn’t really show up proper until around 40 minutes into the movie and even when he does, he’s in far more of a serious mood now that he’s recovered from the pressures of lockdown. This leaves Wake Up Dead Man to focus much, much more on its actual lead, this time represented in the form of Josh O’Connor’s genuinely likable and extremely earnest Jud and while those who leaned more into Onion’s chaos may be initially surprised as this new, more emotional and religious angle, it’s extremely gratifying to find that the franchise still hasn’t lost its edge.
For a start, despite the religious angle and a more dialled back Craig, Wake Up Dead Man still proves that the franchise is still exceedingly funny thanks to a script that still smartly remembers the whole point of the Knives Out movie as comfort movies to snuggle up with while we enjoy a good mystery. Another thing that helps with a good mystery is a good, healthy ensemble and there’s a sense that Johnson may have assembled his finest cast yet as the various victims and suspects rack up a list that includes Josh Brolin (expertly delivering fire and brimstone when he isn’t trying to fake out Jud by copiously discussing masturbating during confession), Glen Close (who goes full, pious crone), Mila Kunis (exasperated cop) and a host of others including Jeremy Renner, Caliee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Daryl McCormack, Kerry Washington and Thomas Haden Church. All do their job well and while some obviously get to do more than other (like murder, for example), it’s to the film’s credit that there’s a sense that the unfolding drama of Our Lady Of Perpetual Fortitude and the efforts of Reverend Jud to save the heart of a church in crisis could probably hold an entire movie of its own even if Benoit Blanc didn’t turn up – which is exactly how it should be.
A far purer Benoit Blanc movie than its predecessor, some might find Wake Up Dead Man a bit too much of a restrained entry into the drawling detective’s cannon. However, not only is Josh O’Connor excellent as the genuinely nice glue holding the film together, but there’s something truly moving in the final denouement that sees Blanc altering his world view to solve this case correctly. With a tone that smartly scoffs at religion when its misused, but offers a refreshingly hopeful look at faith, all the chuckles, twists and whipsmart reveals are all present and correct – but much like Benoit himself, this entry finds itself stirring the soul just as much as it engages the brain.
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