I think I speak for most of us when I say I hope Rian Johnson keeps making these Knives Out films for a long time. They’re just enjoyable. The cast is always stacked, so even minor roles have weight. And of course we have Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc just chewing the heck out of the scenery in a way that’s so … well, enjoyable. Wake Up Dead Man has some weak spots – the cast isn’t well utilised, the culprit fairly obvious – but it also brings a lot of good things to the table.
After Jud (Josh O’Connor), a young priest, punches out a fellow priest, he gets sent to Chimney Rock to serve out his penance. The small parish is run by Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), an abrasive man who doesn’t really care about the spiritual health of the parish. He’s a man obsessed with power more than faith, and encourages animosity to breed in the community. Jud genuinely wants to be a good priest, yet finds himself frustrated with the hold Wicks has over everyone. So when Wicks end up dead during a Good Friday mass, all fingers point to Jud.
The film works as much as it does because of O’Connor’s performance. He conveys Jud’s genuine sincerity and desire to help the community, and his utter belief in the love and compassion of Christ. Most of us are watching the movie for the fun of participating in a whodunit. These aren’t people to us, merely a list of potential suspects for us to play guessing games with as we gather in our living rooms. Just like us, Jud gets caught up in the problem solving frenzy of it all, until a phone call reminds him of his vocation and why he wears the white collar in the first place.
O’Connor conversation with Bridget Everett’s Louise is the most affecting part of the film. That transition from detective euphoria to the quiet realisation of how far he’s deviating from his chosen path is so well done. I sat in silence for the duration of that phone call, reflecting on how we bury our problems so close to our chest, and the importance of having people to honestly unburden ourselves to. That is the power of confession. As a lapsed Catholic, I especially identified with the reality of having confessed to the wrong priest many times, those who don’t really listen and instead respond with impatience and anger. How different the church would be if there were many more who could emulate the path of Jesus.
Johnson’s film is surprisingly hopeful. We see this in the use of light in the cinematography. Whenever Jud speaks about his faith and God, the light shines brightly on him. This isn’t subtle yet it feels powerful in the awe it exudes. Craig and O’Connor have great chemistry together, and that combination of atheist and believer respecting each other’s stance on things and sharing the same space is just really beautiful.
The rest of the cast, besides Glenn Close who knows how to be camp and vulnerable in equal doses, do not get much space in the film or feel a tad miscast. I really liked the small moments with Cailee Spaeny’s Simone but wish we had more. Kerry Washington’s Vera delivers one bad ass monologue, but I would have liked to know her more. Jeremy Renner’s performance needed more bite, Mila Kunis doesn’t know how to be a police officer, and Andrew Scott is amazing but given practically nothing to do but stand around and pour water into a moat.
Like the other Knives Out films, the who isn’t really the pertinent part, it’s the how and why. Even when we sort of hazard a guess on the who, the details and clues woven into the earlier parts of the film are amazing to sort through. I’m not sure on the rewatch quality of Wake Up Dead Man, since whodunits lose their intensity after the initial watch, but Craig and O’Connor’s buddy cop team-up moments might make it worth your while.
REVIEW SCORE: 3.5/5
