Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – Film Review

Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church

Director: Rian Johnson

Synopsis: In a parish church in Upstate New York, renowned detective Benoit Blanc takes on his darkest case to date…

Review: In terms of the most memorable and wholly original characters to have emerged on the big screen in the last ten years or so, there can surely be no doubt of the inclusion of gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc in the conversation. When audiences were first introduced to him in Massachusetts to investigate the death of a wealthy, renowned crime novelist in 2019’s Knives Out, with his sharp suit, keen detective eye, eccentric mannerisms, and last but by no means least, that iconic Southern accent, it was a match made in cinematic heaven. A new icon of the great detective genre was born.

It is true that not everything that comes out of Hollywood indeed warrants or needs a sequel and/or a cinematic universe. It would have been a crying shame if audiences never got another chance to join Detective Blanc as he puts his skills to the test to solve another case. Thankfully, a bumper deal with Netflix allowed Johnson to craft two further sequels. After joining a bunch of self-described “shitheads” on a private Greek island for a murder-mystery party in the equally brilliant Glass Onion, the master detective is back once more for his darkest case to date.

As with the previous two films in the franchise, when it comes to plot details, the less you know, the better. We’ve moved away from the private island of a vainglorious billionaire and back to the United States to an Upstate New York parish where Jud (O’Connor) has been recently reassigned after he let his temper get the better of him towards a fellow priest. He becomes the assistant to the pious Monsignor Wicks (Brolin), and they do not see eye to eye at all. The firebrand manner with which he delivers sermons doesn’t go down well with many of the congregation (including Jud), leaving only a select few loyal and devout regulars. During one such sermon, when the Monsignor goes off to a locked pulpit, he is stabbed to death. The “impossible crime” has been committed, with suspicions immediately falling on Jud, and it soon becomes clear there is only one detective in the world who can solve it.

After two fantastic previous instalments that breathed new life into the murder mystery genre, the pressure would have been on for Johnson to maintain his impressive streak and satisfactorily complete the trilogy. Therefore, it would have been easy for him to deliver a similar follow-up to what came before and put down the magnifying glass. Yet, the writer/director is having none of it and really challenges himself by leaning into much darker and bordering on horror material. As one would suspect, given that the scene of the crime is in a church, religious imagery is present in abundance, with the power of one’s faith in their religion and their beliefs being thoroughly put to the test. Though, this merely scratches the surface, with global politics being the way they are in the year of our Lord 2025, the screenplay has much to say about how Christianity, particularly in the US, is used by lunatic and dangerous demagogues whose who use poisonous and hateful rhetoric to simultaneously solidify their rabid base of supporters and attempt to convert those who don’t believe to their cause. Johnson’s writing has lost none of its sharpness.

In his third outing as Blanc, this time with a lush and voluminous head of hair and a very sharp suit, Craig once again shines as the master detective. Even though it takes a while for him to arrive on the scene, Johnson perfectly sets the stage and establishes the events that lead to Blanc’s arrival. Ultimately, this means that the film takes its time to get going until Blanc makes his grand entrance and immediately has at least a couple of pages of dialogue, and that is a conservative estimate. Like with previous films where Blanc had his key accomplices in Marta Cabrera and Helen Brand, Jud is the centre of this mystery, and O’Connor runs away with the film and delivers the best performance, outshining even Blanc, which is no easy feat. It wouldn’t be a Knives Out film without a stacked and glittery ensemble cast. While they’re all enjoyable to watch and play a part in the centre of this mystifying murder, some have significantly larger roles than others, with one particularly devout follower being the scene-stealer.

The location and the ensemble may change, but Johnson keeps the faith with his familiar crew. Rick Heinrichs’ production design fully leans into the gothic vibes, while Steve Yedlin’s cinematography masterfully uses striking lighting and shadows to illustrate the dark and shadowy secrets at the centre of this particular church. Both help to create the rather troubling illusion that the church building itself is almost a living organism, with wickedness, corruption and unholiness at its centre. It might not reach the highs set by its predecessors, but the murder mystery genre continues to be in rude health thanks to Monsieur Johnson. Blessed be to him and to Monsieur Blanc for providing audiences with a modern trilogy of marvellous murder mysteries, and let us hope that their sleuthing adventures will continue for many more years to come.

Leaning heavily into darker themes about faith in religion and the power of individuals, as well as the dangers of their influence on vulnerable individuals, a sublime scene-stealing performance from Josh O’Connor ensures Rian Johnson completes his trilogy of murder mystery sleuthing in excellent style.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Film Review

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista

Director: Rian Johnson

Synopsis: A group of friends are invited to a private island to take part in some murder mystery games, among the guest list is renowned detective Benoit Blanc…

Review: With its all-star cast and stark social commentary, Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery Knives Out was the beginning of a renaissance for the murder mystery genre. Alongside a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Johnson’s screenplay, it ensured Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, with his “Kentucky-fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl”(as one character so memorably put it), ensured Monsieur Blanc was another addition to the memorable detectives have graced our screens over the years. So it came as no surprise when Netflix sanctioned a $469m deal for the rights to two future sequels featuring everyone’s favourite Southern sleuth. Having set such high standards, does this sequel prove Johnson can match those with yet another all-star cast? The answer, is an emphatic, yes.

Set on a remote Greek island, a tech billionaire (Norton) has invited a group of people closest to him for a weekend of murder mystery-themed shenanigans. They include a fashion designer (Hudson), her assistant (Henwick), a politician (Hahn), a scientist (Odom Jr), a YouTuber/vlogger (Bautista) and his girlfriend (Cline), and a businesswoman (Monae). Yet, also along for the ride is, mysteriously, Monsieur Blanc, whose detective skills may well be called upon once more once the murder-mystery festivities have got underway.

Given the film’s trailer gave very little away, it would be remiss not to extend the same courtesy, so the name of the game will be to be as cryptic as possible from here on out. As with this film’s predecessor, the less you know going into the sequel the better, the better. Benoit Blanc’s first mystery was far more than just your average run-of-the-mill whodunnit. It had a lot to say about privilege, class and politics while weaving a wonderfully clever murder mystery narrative into the story. So, it is immensely satisfying to see Johnson has lost none of his sharpness as he once again crafts a brilliantly witty and equally sharp screenplay that keeps the audience very much on their toes. It maintains the wonderful humour of its predecessor (though sadly there are no hilarious monologues about doughnuts) whilst also retaining some very topical social commentary that makes this franchise stand out from the crowd amidst the resurgence in popularity of the murder mystery.

It seems a near impossible feat to have a more star-studded cast this time around when you look at the jam-packed A-list cast Johnson assembled for the first mystery, yet Glass Onion sure gives its predecessor a run for its money. Of course, the one constant throughout both these movies is Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, and he is once again, a sheer joy to watch. Given for years, he embodied the sometimes cold and detached persona of James Bond, to see Craig throw himself back into Blanc’s shoes is wonderfully refreshing, and he is clearly once again having a blast working with Johnson’s writing. The same is also applicable to each and every member of the rest of the cast. It would be rude to go into specifics as to who shines the brightest, as this runs the risk of giving away the marvellous mystery Johnson has crafted. However, each and every one of them gets their moment to shine as the layers of this new murder mystery and what connects this group of friends are peeled back with glorious results.

What this new mystery definitely has in its favour is its exotic location, trading a Boston mansion for a luxurious Greek private island, which is captured so beautifully through Steve Yedlin’s cinematography. Equally, Rick Henrichs’ production design, particularly when it comes to the titular glass onion, is flawless. While it might disappoint some that there are no iconic sweaters this time around, costume designer Jenny Eagan more than makes up for the lack of unique knitwear, giving numerous characters plenty of colourful outfits which will surely be as memorable as those aforementioned sweaters.

But, through all it all, everything comes back to the genius of Rian Johnson. It is so wonderful to see a director who feels thoroughly at home with this genre be given carte blanche to realise his vision for this franchise, especially when the results are this good. While we can be thankful there will be at least one more case to be solved. However, given the quality of the first two entries, there are likely going to be very few complaints if Johnson continues to use his little grey cells to craft more entries in this franchise for many more years to come.

It might have seemed an impossible task to match Benoit Blanc’s first case. Yet, with its equally impressive all-star cast and an impeccably sharp and hilarious script, the master of the modern murder mystery strikes again.