‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: A Bounce Back to Brilliance for Benoit Blanc [TIFF 25]
Filmmaker Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig bring the third chapter in the ‘Knives Out’ mysteries with a return to comedic form.
One of the greatest cinematic experiences this writer has had was bearing witness to Rian Johnson’s original ‘Knives Out’ with a packed TIFF audience. The gentlemen next to me had a particularly boisterous laugh with no real sense of public decorum for volume level, but it made the experience all that more hilarious and memorable. The audience overall was extremely receptive to the farcical social commentary, overall tone and brilliantly layered mystery of the film and it was arguably one of this writer’s favorite films of the year. It was the beginning of the franchise, and the future seemed as bright as the over-the-top accent Daniel Craig created for Benoit Blanc.
It perhaps goes without saying, but allow me to put it in writing - the sequel, ‘Glass Onion’ couldn’t quite live up to the expectations of the first film. Perhaps it was the actual cinema-going experience of the original, perhaps that first film was lightning in a bottle, perhaps the second one’s commentary and humor just wasn’t there. Perhaps there was a piece of me that missed that boisterous laugh next to me.
So walking into ‘Wake Up Dead Man’, once again with a TIFF audience seemed like a tie-breaker. This was game seven of the playoffs, and writer/director Rian Johnson and the rest of the filmmakers had to reassure me as to why I cheered for the Knives Out mystery team in the first place. Naturally, I was sceptical. Being a lifelong Toronto sports fan, I always set myself up for disappointment in these situations. As always, that team, at least the cinematic team in Toronto that evening, was made up of absolute all-stars including Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Jeffrey Wright, Thomas Hayden Church, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis and Josh Brolin. Yet with so many Toronto Maple Leafs teams in the past, there’s one thing to be wary of when having so many all-stars - sometimes there isn’t enough to go around.
Wake Up Dead Man was primarily a vehicle for Josh O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy. His apt last name, a hair away from ‘duplicity’ is a brilliant little character choice from Johnson who creates a hilarious and dichotomous character in the former boxer turned priest. O’Connor carries the story even more than Craig, controlling the very narrative of the story from the get-go. What Dead Man did so well that perhaps the failed Glass Onion didn’t do, was give Craig someone to bounce off of, a partner in the investigation and someone to root for. The original had the working class Marta (Ana de Armas) who was so sickly sweet she would vomit any time she would lie. While Duplenticy, as the name would indicate, is not as virtuous in the lie department, he is certainly a worthy partner to Benoit. The two characters, and therefore the two actors, are always on the same page, and it makes this mystery part ‘buddy cop’ film, which ends up infusing it with a lot of charm, and O’Conner was a major contributor to that. His comedic timing and working friendship with Benoit could charm any cynic, even this jaded Maple Leafs fan.
However, as mentioned, the charm of the franchise largely lies within the tremendous ensemble cast. With so many stars who are accustomed to helming their own cinematic vehicle, it’s always a question of whether the cast will mesh and represent what a true ensemble can do. Sadly, that may be one of the shortcomings of Dead Man, as several of the cast members don’t really get a chance to shine. It was certainly one of the weaknesses of Glass Onion, yet one of the strengths of Knives Out. There were stars such as Mila Kunis and Jeremy Renner where their respective characters could have been played by anyone. I found myself wanting more out of Kunis, Renner, Kerry Washington and especially Andrew Scott, but Johnson once again short-changed key members of his cabal of suspects, which ended up short changing the ensemble as a whole.
Perhaps it’s a sacrifice Johnson is willing to make, as it left room for standout performances such as O’Connor. The boxing-father meets his equal in Josh Brolin’s Mons. Jefferson Wicks, one of the angriest, most antagonistic religious figures put to film. The hatred the audience feels for Wicks is visceral, and it makes the murder-mystery that much more enjoyable, and perhaps mysterious feeling that anyone would have more than enough reason to dispatch the monsignor. Brolin absolutely gnaws and gnashes at the scenery in every sequence he blesses, and in a short amount of screen time perhaps steals the show.
While there were others equal to the task of going a few rounds with Brolin, most notably Glenn Close and her ultra sycophantic character Martha Delacroix, there was still an imbalance. Close, to know surprise is up for the challenge to repeat what Brolin does, which is make the most of the scenes she is in. Johnson’s heightened, almost melodramatic direction gives the actors a chance to be character actors for this project, even if they’re not known for that thus far in their career.
It also gives everyone an opportunity to up their comedic game. Many of these actors have proven they can keep up with any comedic timing that might be required of them, but this is certainly the funniest Knives Out mystery since the original. You might think that I’d have to rescind my earlier statement about the ensemble being a little weak, but truth be told, while everyone in the cast is certainly on the same page, Craig and O’Connor are the ones writing the book. The two of them are almost always the funniest part of the comedic aspect of the film, and with the two of them driving most of the film (especially the latter half) it makes the whodunnit that much more enjoyable.
However, the sad thing about a whodunnit is you have to have a shadow of doubt in your mind about… you know… who actually dunnit. This may be enough of a shortcoming for some fans of the franchise to turn on the film entirely, and I could certainly see why they’d be disappointed. It is almost entirely too easy to predict who the killer is. In fact, I may have disclosed too much already. I hope the journey to unravel the murder aspect of the mystery is one that keeps people guessing, making it that much more enjoyable. You should, at the very least, be satiated by the fact that the murder is not the only mystery within this Knives Out Mystery, and there are several twists and turns where even the most savvy amateur cinematic sleuth will keep guessing.
While Wake Up Dead Man doesn’t quite live up to the lightning in a bottle that was the original Knives Out, it is certainly a worthy sequel. Its serpentine plot, laugh-out-loud sardonic tone and cast of memorable characters will please any detective, and lets hope sets up several more Knives Out mysteries to come.