Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 144 mins

Wake Up Dead Man is the latest in Rian Johnson’s prosperous Knives Out series centred around Daniel Craig’s Southern private detective Benoit Blanc. While the first two films are undeniably original and full of the auteur director’s style, I wasn’t hot on either of them – the first film ran out of steam in the second half and I found Glass Onion‘s tone too boisterous. This third outing is set in a rural parish in upstate New York, and follows Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer turned Catholic priest who gets reassigned after punching a deacon. Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is the charismatic and domineering priest at the parish, and Duplenticy comes into conflict with him straightaway. Wicks has a loyal following of similarly toxic characters in the town, including Glenn Close’s devout right-hand woman, Kerry Washington’s long-suffering lawyer, Andrew Scott’s washed-up author and Jeremy Renner’s alcoholic doctor. But when there’s a murder mid-way through a church ceremony, Benoit Blanc’s services are enlisted.

Wake Up Dead Man is gripping for the vast majority of its run time and I liked that Rian Johnson reins in the comedy somewhat this time round, opting for a darker, gothic and Agatha Christie inspired tale. As you’d expect, there’s another rogues gallery of despicable characters, aptly played by a star-studded cast, although it’s a shame some of the characters are underdeveloped. It’s also a shame I was able to predict a large portion of the ending, and of all three films, the climax is sadly quite underwhelming. Still, there’s lots of positive points.

Daniel Craig gives the best performance of the trilogy, more serious and long-haired this time round. He takes a relative back seat compared to Josh O’Connor’s priest, who’s also great and very likeable as a priest many would appreciate to call their own. Like his recent performance in The Running Man, Josh Brolin really chews the scenery as Monsignor Wicks and it’s nice to see Jeremy Renner in a film again after his awful snowplow incident in 2023.

Wake Up Dead Man is also undeniably the best-looking film out of the three, with Steve Yedlin beautifully lighting and framing the church setting – it’s a sumptuous film to look at. And even though Rian Johnson has a tendency to overindulge, there are many moments of wit in his sharp script.

Some of the cast aren’t fully utilised – Glenn Close isn’t given a great deal to do as Wicks’ right-hand church lady, Andrew Scott has a slipping American accent as a former best-selling author who’s also underdeveloped and although both Thomas Haden Church and Jeffrey Wright do the best with what they’ve got, they both have minor roles.

Even though Wake Up Dead Man is yet another film in the series that doesn’t make the most of its potential, it’s the one I enjoyed the most until the underwhelming finale. There’s lots of good work here, from some of the performances to the more intimate and darker cine-literate setting. It’s just a shame the character development isn’t as assured this time around and a great story deserves a thrilling conclusion, which Johnson doesn’t quite deliver.