Alex Wheeler Movie Ops

At this point, we all know what a Knives Out movie entails. A murder, a pile of contradictory clues, an ensemble of stars playing the rogues gallery of suspects, and Benoit Blanc flouncing through it all, managing to be an even more suave and dapper version of Daniel Craig than his Bond. Writer/director Rian Johnson figured out the formula for the modern star-studded whodunit, and people eat it up.

The genre revival goes against the grain. It wasn’t long ago that people were mourning the loss of true film stars, then Johnson proved we still have plenty to turn to when a film needs audiences to be wowed by a huge dose of their it factor.

Craig is the biggest of them all, of course, as the only consistent figure between all three Knives Out movies. The ease with which he handles the role is no longer a surprise. The quick-witted peacocking feels like a part of him, and he swaggers through the role with ease.

Or he did, until Johnson asked him to let Blanc waver in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The third film in the series takes Blanc to a rural corner of America that’s under the iron fist of its priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). His indignant judgment of his flock drives some away, but others are drawn in, giving him a tight-knit group that follows him as their unquestionable leader. Before Blanc shows up, the town is destabilized by a new priest, Jud (Josh O’Connor), who has been sent to their small town after struggling to put his violent past behind him. He was a boxer once, and he killed a man in the ring. The act weighs heavily on him, making his faith something he cannot afford to lose. 

After Jud clashes with Wicks, the latter drops dead in their church. His actual death occurs without witnesses; he fell in a closet he uses to cool down from his sermons. But his flock and Jud were only feet away, giving his death a very narrow window in which to occur. Hence Blanc, who shows up to solve the riddle.

It’s the church that throws Blanc for a loop. One might think it’d be the small town, where his affectations stick out like a sore thumb. But he’s secure with those aspects of himself and the dynamics they bring out. He knows what to expect when people encounter him, and knowledge is what soothes him.

But religion, or more specifically faith, places little weight on knowledge. Luckily for Blanc, most of the religious in this town aren’t true faithfuls. They’ve lost their way following Wicks, who weilds religion for power. Johnson and Brolin draw Wicks as a very obvious stand-in for the religious right in America, at least the kind that posture instead of believe. Brolin huffs and puffs his way through the role, not going for too much, keeping Wicks away from satire. His brand of ‘religion’ is something Blanc knows, and it allows him to move through the case with his usual bravado.

But Jud confounds him. His faith is true, and his reasons for clinging to it are more complicated than the absolution one anticipates. True faith is not something Blanc has a grasp of, and it leaves him sputtering when he’s unable to get around it. 

For the film to work O’Connor had to sell all of Jud’s complications, and he succeeds in capturing a flawed but good man. How he pulled that off is a mystery worthy of a movie itself, and it’s a wonderful thing to behold. 

He also hits all the usual comedic beats that come with a Knives Out movie, but the comedy is toned down here. This is by far the most serious entry in the Knives Out franchise. It challenges Blanc, gives him something to wrestle with instead of solve, which pushes it just enough to feel fresh without losing its delightful acoutrement. These films will always be quick-witted. They will always be filled with actors you know and love chewing on all the scenery. And they will always have Blanc unwinding a mystery in a very satisfying way. But this time, Blanc has a partner who can stand with him, not next to him. Jud and Blanc truly challenge each other, and neither gets the upper hand. Their dynamic makes the movie a fascinating, not just entertaining, watch.

Release: now streaming on Netflix
Director: Rian Johnson
Writers: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church