‘I kneel at the altar of the rational…’
People take cinema so seriously these days (I’m guilty of this too). Film Twitter is a swamp. Awards season brings out the worst flavour of performative tribalism in everyone. Where is the fun? The joie de vivre? Daniel Craig wearing a preposterous wig? Well, it’s in the Knives Out franchise, obviously. I loved the first entry and I found the second entry to be more enjoyable than most gave it credit for. Wake Up Dead Man, the third entry in what is fast becoming my favourite non-horror franchise, is just as wonderfully unhinged as the first two…
It’s literally impossible to delve into the labyrinthine plot of Wake Up Dead Man without giving away spoilers, so I’ll keep this section brief. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), an ex-boxer turned young, idealistic priest, is banished to a small town, fire-and-brimstone church presided over bythe overly zealous Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). His devoted flock includes an all-star cast, including Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and Cailee Spaeny. Oh, and obviously, Craig returns and is bombastic as ever as our intrepid private investigator Benoit Blanc.
As a rule, I’m not a fan of a run time over two hours, but even at a whopping 144 minutes, Wake Up Dead Man (subtitled A Knive Out Mystery) whips along at a pleasingly rapid pace. We’re never too far away from a grisly murder or a successful punchline. Director Rian Johnson keeps the action moving thick and fast, and the supporting cast is so sensational that it doesn’t matter that Blanc doesn’t even show up until halfway through. While everyone is good, Close, Brolin and O’Connor are both the film’s heartbeat and its most entertaining characters. The ongoing bit in which Brolin recounts all the times he’s masturbated during their weekly dual confession is genuinely a joy to behold. And that’s what this film, and this franchise, is. It’s joyous, unapologetically broad, riotous entertainment.
It’s pretty simple, really. If you loved the first two entries in the Benoit Blanc saga (as I did), then you will love this one too. It’s just a shame that, as these are Netflix-produced films, they won’t get the wider cinematic release that they clearly deserve. The fact that the film wraps up with a Tom Waits song is the cherry on top a delicious cake. Beautiful.
