Benoit Blanc is back for another whodunit

PLOT: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) tries to prove the innocence of a dedicated Catholic priest (Josh O’Connor) who’s been accused of murder.

REVIEW: Here’s the thing—Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies depend on the element of surprise. The fun of these films is how he keeps you guessing throughout, with Johnson something of a master of cinematic sleight of hand. As such, as a reviewer, in order to keep my conscience clear, I can’t give away too much (and in fact, we received an impassioned letter from Johnson begging us not to), since I don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. Suffice to say, Wake Up Dead Man is another fun romp, with Johnson doing a great job closing up his Benoit Blanc trilogy—if indeed this is the end.

Each movie has been distinctly different, with the first a traditional Agatha Christie-style whodunit, while the sequel—flush with Netflix money—took a decidedly lavish approach, very much in the mode of the seventies mystery The Last of Sheila. Wake Up Dead Man takes a more gothic turn, with the work of Edgar Allan Poe a strong influence. It’s set in upstate New York and differs from the other movies in that the hero of the film isn’t really Blanc this time, or even the innocent he helps (like Ana de Armas in the first or Janelle Monáe in the second). Blanc actually only appears forty minutes or so into the movie, with the story instead centered around a priest, Jud Duplenticy, played by Josh O’Connor. He’s a more brooding hero in the film noir vein, with an origin pinched from The Quiet Man—an ex-boxer who killed a man in the ring. Now he’s become a priest, albeit one with a penchant for punching people out, who winds up at a parish run by Monsignor Jefferson Micks (a deliberately Trumpian Josh Brolin), who preaches an agenda of hate and obedience the young priest finds repugnant.

The movie revolves around—what else—a murder, but I’m not going to reveal who gets killed. The suspects include a drunk doctor (Jeremy Renner), a wacky writer (Andrew Scott), a lawyer (Kerry Washington), her right-leaning much younger brother (Daryl McCormack), an ailing former cellist (Cailee Spaeny), the monsignor’s right-hand woman (Glenn Close), her lover (Thomas Haden Church), and of course the monsignor himself.

Johnson keeps the film fresh and nimble on its feet despite the lengthy 144-minute running time. Once the non-believing Blanc enters the scene, with Craig camping it up even more than in the last few movies, the most intriguing point becomes the theological tug of war between the atheist Blanc and the strikingly pious and kind young priest, whose compassion can’t be denied.

My only real issue with Wake Up Dead Man is that the cast is too big. Renner gets next to nothing to do, as does Scott, while Kunis has a one-note role as a deputy tasked with helping Blanc. The movie is dominated by O’Connor, who shows off a brooding side mixed with compassion that will likely land him on the A-list before long. Likewise, Brolin and Close are the other ones with the juiciest material, with Brolin devouring the scenery in a role that feels tailor-made. Curiously, it’s Craig who feels shortchanged this time, with Blanc strikingly passive compared to the other films where he’s always one step ahead.

As usual, Johnson’s technical credits are impeccable, with his regular composer Nathan Johnson supplying a Danny Elfman-esque score. The mood and atmosphere feel right out of a gothic classic, although there’s also a lot of humor, including a Star Wars nod that brought the house down.

Wake Up Dead Man is another wildly entertaining entry in Johnson’s Benoit Blanc mystery series, and O’Connor might be the most compelling central character we’ve followed thus far. It will no doubt please fans of the series and would certainly benefit from a robust theatrical run, as these are the kinds of films that are especially fun to watch with an audience.