Here’s a mystery for you: what does Netflix have against full theatrical releases. I mean after this film and Frankenstein; it’s ridiculous. Did a movie theater sleep with Ted Sarandos’ wife or something? I’m happy directors like Rian Johnson and Guillermo del Toro have been able to negotiate deals to get these films into theaters, because that is where they are meant to be seen. I still remember seeing Knives Out in the theater with a raucous crowd, knowing we’ve found a director who can deliver a good time with a classical caper style. But after Glass Onion failed to wow me as much as its predecessor, I was curious to see where exactly Rian Johnson could go from here with his Benoit Blanc mystery series. A reflection on both the weaponization and necessity of religion was certainly not what I was expecting, but one I welcomed greatly.

Somehow managing to strike a balance of timelessness and locked in on the current moment, Wake Up Dead Man is the first film in the trilogy where I found the unraveling and spotlighting of the characters to be far more intriguing than the mystery itself. Well, one character to be specific, as while I didn’t find this to be the strongest ensemble, the characterization of Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud compelled me in a way I don’t think any character in this series has done before. But that’s not to say this still isn’t a capital M mystery, though. It’s certainly the nuttiest and farfetched caper Johnson has cooked up yet, challenging pre-established tropes that makes this thing one whole school of red herrings. With that said, the convoluted nature of the mystery can undercut the juicier parts of the film, sometimes getting too tangled when all we really need is for the film to be straight with us. But at the end of the day, it’s an undeniable win for Johnson as he cements himself as one of this generation’s murder mystery conductors. 

It’s an unsolvable crime. A priest walks into a small, plain room and ends up with a knife in his back. Nobody could have touched him, so how could this have happened? Well, never fear, because deep fried detective Benoit Blanc is on the case to unconfidently stumble his way into kinda figuring this one out while also just kind of having everything fall into his lap. While Blanc is the recurring star of the series, always played alluringly by Daniel Craig, he really takes a backseat this time around. He’s still doing his schtick of questioning and deliberating with the slow sweetness of molasses, but he is not the most intriguing piece of this film to me. That would be Josh O’Connor as Father Jud, a newly relocated priest with a checkered past that leads Blanc through a journey of not only justice, but of faith. It really is refreshing to see a man of faith character like this handled in such a mature and intriguing way. Johnson passes on the typical “crisis of faith” character arc you may expect from a film that stands to question what’s truly real and what’s an illusion. The film isn’t here to challenge belief, but rather, challenge the intention of belief. Throughout the whole thing, Jud is unwavering in his faith, never questioning his belief in God but questioning his role in how that message is brought to others. It makes his tangles with Blanc, a devout atheist, all the more compelling, as the validity of belief is not really what’s being dissected here. At the end of the day, the film perhaps makes the greatest case for faith I’ve seen in a very long time without being overly cliche or preachy.

And while I can gush about the dynamic between Blanc and Jud all day, I did find myself not nearly as compelled with the other characters. The potential suspects are given ample reasons to want the murder victim dead, but also throw some genuinely good reasons for needing him alive. But despite some stellar actors maining these pawns, they just don’t hit that level of memorability as the family from the first film. A lot of them just feel so ill-defined, not really succinctly sliding into the roles a murder mystery usually needs. Some characters just feel guilty by association, not really having a presence in the film that makes you believe they had any connection to such a plot. Great actors like Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny never really get a moment to shine or even become a full-fledged, interesting character. I was happily surprised by how much of the muder victim, played by Josh Brolin, we managed to get here. He talks about masterbating a lot, and honestly, it leads to one of the better character performances in this film.

These films have always been able to strike a nice balance of simplicity and technical prowess, but I don’t think the series has looked any better than it has here. There are some phenomenally shot sequences here, from a blood moon rampage through a church to strobe light tussle in the rain. The film doesn’t go over the top very often but knows when to crank the style up a tad to add a little oomf, usually hinting that the things you see may not be what they appear. But there’s an undeniable attention to coloring here that actually gets playful with things like setting and time, not straining itself to look realistic if it doesn’t need to thematically. You know, like movies used to be colored. And thankfully, Johnson has not missed a step in the wit department either. This thing may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as I found the first film, but most, if not all of the bits, one liners and visual gags really land here. Don’t mean to bring up masterbating talk twice in one video, but what can I say, it’s funny. 

And, without spoiling anything, let’s talk about that mystery. It’s audacious and complex and layered, almost kind of to a fault. It’s no doubt mind bending to see the shocking reveals and twists unravel, but it never really culminates into anything that’s too jaw dropping. At times it really seems to overcomplicate itself in order to make the impossible possible, and while I appreciate the effort, the resolution didn’t really strike me as narratively satisfying as Knives Out or even Glass Onion. But like I was talking about earlier, ironically, the mystery isn’t what ultimately roped me in, but the story that’s playing out alongside it did. It’s incredibly thoughtful and tender with how it tackles faith and belief while still finding room to be critical of the cult of personality that can be spawned from it. Not only does it find ways to tie into modern day issues like class despair and billionaires in the previous films, but it does so in a way that feels a lot more personal, tapping into what it means to handle guilt and the duty to do right by your fellow man. In a way, this film elevates itself beyond just an homage to Agatha Christie style mysteries into something truly unique, which is exactly what I want from a film series. To grow, to adapt, and to come out on the other side feeling as if there’s something here to take home with you.

In my eyes, Rian Johnson is 3 for 3 with his Benoit Blanc mystery series, with Wake Up Dead Man perhaps being his most puzzling and thought provoking. Daniel Craig is once again stellar, but it’s Josh O’Conner’s humble and soft role that really reeled me in. The mystery is a big swing that may not pay off as satisfyingly as past capers, but you can’t deny that it’s fun to see the puzzle pieces fall into place. Sometimes I curse the internet for not letting this guy give us more Star Wars movies, but then again, we may have never gotten these gems, so I guess I can give stupid culture wars a pass this time.

RATING

EVE’S APPLE

Mankind should have sworn off apples forever. They got Adam and Eve kicked out or paradise, they killed Snow White, they’re just nothing but trouble. But as cocktail connoisseurs, we like to delve into a little sin every now and then, don’t we? So that’s why we are making the Eve’s Apple, named after a diamond of great importance in the film. This is a sweet and tart fall cocktail that is very easy to make and is sure to tempt anybody with its goodness. I won’t tell the big man upstairs if you won’t.

INGREDIENTS

• 2oz brandy
• 1.5oz apple juice
• 1/2oz maraschino liqueur
• 1/2oz lime juice
• 1/4oz maple syrup
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• Garnish: Cinnamon stick
• Garnish: Apple slice(s)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain over ice in a rocks glass.
3. Garnish with cinnamon stick and apple slice(s).