Why Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Rejuvenated the Knives Out Franchise

Courtesy of Netflix

After Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the Knives Out franchise was stuck in the mud. The disappointing sequel was seen a huge disappointment for movie goers and Netflix. But after 3 years, our favorite detective Benoit Blanc is back. This time he is investigating the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. Like all other Knives Out films, we follow Blanc as he investigates a group of people and discovers which one murdered him. But in this film, one actor steals the show.

Josh O'Connor who plays Father Jud Duplenticy is an absolute revelation in this film. He should be recognized for an Oscar, that's how good he is. His role as a priest is done with such care and respect for religion, it's really beautiful to watch. Daniel Craig delivers another good performance as Blanc. This character is quickly becoming the role that Craig will be known for and that's saying a lot since he played James Bond. Glenn Close delivers a good performance as well and is quite scary at some points in the film. Josh Brolin is also good as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks and is a good antagonist to O'Connor's character. The rest of the cast is okay and not memorable in this film. That is my biggest complaint with this film. The rest of the characters don't seem to matter at all in this film.

The number one thing I love about this film is how it handles Christianity and religion as a whole. It's not one of those films that hate on religion at all. It handles the sensitive topic with care and respect. There's one beautiful scene in particular with O'Connor's character and a woman on the phone. It shows why people believe in religion and the power it has on people. Father Jud's mission in the film is clear. His mission is to bring the word of Jesus Christ to people and to save them like he saved him. I loved the layers that the character of Father Jud had. He wasn't a perfect man but he is a good man throughout the film and is always looking to do the right thing. The handling of the subject of religion is what impressed me the most.

Like every other Knives Out film, there are many twists and turns. At one point, you think one thing happens and at other points in the film, you think a different thing is happening. I love these films because they always keep you guessing. With so much predictability in our films, it's refreshing to watch a film where you truly don't know what is going to happen. This keeps audiences engaged with the film. This also makes the film much more exciting to watch. It makes you want to know what will happen in the end. In the end, the film delivers with an ending you won't expect.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is a much better film than Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. It creates better twists and turns. It has much better characters. It also has stronger performances. It also has a more interesting story and subject material. The subject of religion is always interesting to watch. To see how director Rian Johnson handled the sensitive topic was amazing to watch and much more interesting than people being stuck on an island. This film will rejuvenate the Knives Out franchise and hopefully Benoit Blanc has more mysteries to solve in the future.

Did you like Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery? Leave your opinion in the comments below.