After two successful movies, the Knives Out franchise could have easily gone downhill. Instead, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” now streaming on Netflix, shows that the series still has a lot to offer. The movie has a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes and takes a darker, more serious turn than the earlier films. Because of this, it earns a strong 4 out of 5 stars. Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc and once again does a great job playing the smart and observant detective. His character feels familiar but not repetitive. Josh O’Connor also gives a strong performance as a priest trying to prove his innocence, which adds a lot of emotional tension to the story. The rest of the cast helps keep the mystery interesting as secrets slowly start to come out after a suspicious death. What sets this movie apart from the others in the series is its willingness to engage with religious themes in a serious way. This movie portrays faith, guilt, and moral judgement in such a natural way into the narrative, influencing character decisions rather than being spelled out for the audience. It uses religion as a way to explore right and wrong in a way that I believe is accurately depicted, that it adds depth without becoming preachy. It changes the way Benoit Blanc investigates, as he is usually investigating with logic and reason but he is instead in a case where the motives are tied by conscience. This blend makes the movie a lot more different than any other movies out there. This case also pushes Benoit Blanc to think differently. Instead of only relying on logic, he has to consider different people’s morals. That change makes the movie feel different from most mystery films.
Photo By: Vogue