Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Poster
Proud heretic. I kneel at the altar of the rational.
Past Knives Out reviews:
Review
When a fire-and-brimstone preacher (Josh Brolin) is murdered in his church under mysterious circumstances, his understudy, a former boxer turned priest Jud (Josh O'Connor), becomes the prime suspect. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is invited to solve this locked-room mystery.
The original Knives Out is one of my favourite mystery films made in recent years, but I found Glass Onion to be lacking. I'm glad Wake Up Dead Man returns to the classic whodunnit nature of the first film. The plot is probably the densest out of the three films not only with its complex core mystery, but also with its themes of faith, religion, and morality. While Craig's Benoit is always entertaining with his Southern drawl, O'Connor's Jud really stole the show for me. The character of Jud is very well-written and O'Connor portrays both the character's tense physicality but also the character's guilt and sincerity, giving the film much of its emotional weight. I also really enjoyed the film's wintry Gothic setting.
Conclusion
A redemptive third film.