Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

By Joanna Langfield

Rian Johnson takes us to church for the newest Benoit Blanc detective tale. This time, he doesn’t just aim to charm, he’s also ringing some very resonant bells.

A terrific Josh O’Connor stars as a young priest, aiming to battle his demons by counseling parishioners about their own. He is assigned to an upstate church, led by a ferocious, manipulative Josh Brolin, a Monsignor who makes it clear he doesn’t want any competition. As the formula has worked in the previous chapters, we get to know both men, as well as the select members of their flock, before someone is murdered. And it is a murder only the great Benoit Blanc can solve. Or can he?

Bringing the Church into the mix allows Johnson, who not only directed by wrote, to swim in some pretty deep and choppy waters. Mention is quickly made of the social and political problems now facing the institution, before plunging into fundamentals of the religion itself. Angry sermons are screamed from a pulpit so revered, it is a shock when a layman has the audacity to climb upon it.

Mileage may vary for audiences not ready for the more potent and, yes, dark side shown here. But there is no doubt it is presented very well. A pretty grand group of players convenes, and look they are having a great time of it. They are so good, in fact, we feel a bit cheated, not seeing more of Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Haden Church, Jeffrey Wright and, especially, Andrew Scott. But hold on tight for what Glenn Close gets to wallop us with, matching the fantastically furious Brolin in stealing every scene they’re in. Unless, of course, they are competing with Daniel Craig, whose glorious legacy as Blanc is a happy one for us all.