It could be said, I suppose, that this latest Rian Johnson Knives Out mystery runs a tad long. It could also be said, I suppose, that semi-lead Josh O'Connor isn't quite up to the gravitas of Johnson's surprisingly dark, yet optimistic, material. 

Yeah, I suppose these things could be said. 

Yet, let's not say them. 

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the best of the now trilogy, a literary feast brought crisply to life by an ensemble cast clearly in-tune with Johnson's wit, wonder, and absolute cinematic mastery. 

Daniel Craig is back, of course, as Benoit Blanc. Blanc is essentially an amalgam of every entertaining investigator you've ever known from Miss Marple to Columbo, Jessica Fletcher to Sherlock Holmes. They're all here, though amidst it all Craig still manages to make Blanc all his own. 

As a minister myself, I'm a sucker for cinematic journeys into the institutional lunacy known as organized religion. The killing this time around immerses us into the world of a small New York Catholic parish ruled by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Wicks rules his parish more by fear than faith, a fact not far removed from the cultural realities of what it means to be a Christian in contemporary America. After an ill-timed punching of a fellow priest, Josh O'Connor's Father Jud is exiled by Bishop Langstrom (Jeffrey Wright) to Wicks's parish where he encounters the sordid stereotypes of today's faith communities including Jeremy Renner's drunken and divorced Dr. Nat Sharp, wannabe MAGA influencer Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), sci-fi writer Lee Ross (Andrew Ross), Glenn Close's Delacroix, and Thomas Haden Church's delightful Samson Holt among others. 

Of course, we all know there will be a murder, or I suppose I should say "moy-duh." Chief Geraldine Scott (a nicely cast Mila Kunis) will be baffled and befuddled and will ultimately call in our dear friend Benoit. The film that follows may not be quite the film you expect it to be. 

In fact, it's much better. 

The Knives Out films have never quite been simple whodunnits. Johnson is far too complex as both writer and director to keep things that simple. Wake Up Dead Man is as much a whydunnit as a whodunnit, Johnson's gentle, and often funny, deconstruction of false faith leading us into a grander place. He's not here to condemn, and he doesn't, despite having the characters in place to do so. All the characters are treated more humanely than we initially suspect, though Johnson's reflective script also isn't hesitant to call out the easily exploited institutions that surround us. 

To be honest, I've never been quite a believer when it comes to the Knives Out films. Despite appreciating them, I've always felt them to be a bit, well, beneath Johnson's immense talent as a filmmaker. Yet, over time and, to be honest, upon repeat viewings, I've come to understand the wonder of these films and why Johnson has given themselves to them. There is a single scene in Wake Up Dead Man that won me over and continues to win me over. Louise (Bridget Everett), a relatively slight character here, is in conversation with O'Connor's Father Jud. It's a remarkable scene. It's a scene I can't stop thinking about. It's tender and substantial, meaningful, and so deeply dignified toward characters who can so often become caricatures. 

In this moment, you could say, I became a believer. 

Wake Up Dead Man arrives during awards season, though Wake Up Dead Man isn't really an awards season film. It's simply the type of holiday season fare that we adore. It's frequently humorous though not frivolously so. It's fiercely engaging and beautifully, quite beautifully, shot. The social satire is abundant, however, it's devoid of the maliciousness far too frequently present these days. It's overly long, however, at times it feels not quite long enough. 

So, there you have it. I loved Wake Up Dead Man. I loved that it made me laugh. I love that it made me think. I loved that it called into account the institutions that surround us without condemning those who exist within those institutions. I loved it's awkward optimism and willingness to vulnerably explore amidst the humor of it all. In essence, I loved that it dared to question "We are the dead man. Will we wake up?" 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic