Darker and Unique, The Newest “Knives Out” Mystery Is Different, But Amazing In Its Own Way
With “Wake Up Dead Man,” filmmaker Rian Johnson decided to not just rest of his laurels and continue his winning formula he found with the first two “Knives Out” mysteries, satirizing the wealthy being one of many aspects of that formula.
Instead, Johnson goes for something darker and deeper here, embracing a gothic vibe and tackling faith, belief, and the battle between grace and anger in today’s contentious world, themes carried by the chemistry between Daniel Craig’s legendary Benoit Blanc and Josh O’Connor’s amazing performance as a conflicted young holy man. O’Connor continues to prove to be just a total star.
The ensemble cast is reliably great too, with Glenn Close and Josh Brolin as standouts, and the plot is constructed in a way that’s even more fascinating than the first two movies.
It may not have the breezy rewatchability of the first two, but Johnson’s gotta be applauded here for trying something different, never mind the fact that he pretty much nails it. Maybe the best of the trio.