Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery isn’t without its faults, but I suppose I wouldn’t be taking away the right message if I didn’t give it grace. Thematically, it’s an emotional turmoil that feels especially relevant if you’re a Christian who has a hard tough in church because of how Christ’s love has been weaponized and shifted to focus on hatred. It’s especially taxing if you’re watching it, feeling the anguish and dread because of everything going on in the world. It’s heartbreaking to think that if there is a spiritual figure like Josh O’Connor’s Reverand Jud, he’s silenced and overshadowed by men like Josh Brolin’s Wicks.
Rian Johnson’s screenplay supplies a candid and careful job of deconstructing the two varying differences while painting a clear picture of how much is lost in translation, while the wrong people’s voices are uplifted. Thematically, it’s the strongest inclusion in the Knives Out series because it’s a message we all need reminding of. Bigotry and Christianity aren’t the same thing, and there are good people left in the world who genuinely care about helping others—people who sincerely believe it’s their purpose in life.
And it feels entirely believable and transcendent because of Josh O’Connor’s performance.
With that said, no one’s performance in the movie is as perfect as O’Connor’s. As one of the most versatile actors of our generation, O’Connor continues to prove that there’s no character he can’t embody with the right layers and nuances to make them feel lived-in. Real. And in every way where it matters, in order for the story to rise to the occasion, it’s O’Connor’s performance above all that ensures it does.
Challengers is one of my all-time favorite movies. Maybe even top five right as we speak. And it’s so hard to believe that the man we watched on the screen as Father Jud is the same man who brings Patrick Zweig to life. But also, it isn’t because that’s how sensational O’Connor is at blending into every role so seamlessly that it’s an art form all on its own.
And how he moves through Wake Up Dead Man makes the role of Reverand Jud one of his best ones to date. Every ounce of sincerity, every beat of heart—everything that works is entirely because of O’Connor’s performance. How he and Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc play off one another is near-perfect, making up for some of the heart that was missing in Glass Onion. Still, and ultimately, it’s because of these two that we have something lovely on our hands.
Tonally, it’s also a vast improvement that brings back an eeriness that legitimately makes the mystery element a bit terrifying. The jump scares on more than one occasion, followed by the meta inclusion of locked-room mysteries and the idea of an impossible crime, work perfectly in a sacred setting where, unfortunately, issues are covered up far more than they’re revealed at the altar. It allows for a good dose of deconstruction and conversation to take place, which again, contributes to the strength of the theme. It allows the story to feel richer and more profound, digging into the notions of agency, forgiveness, and understanding through worthy conversations. Really, there’s a lot that can be said about just how much we’d explore, and we’d be here for hours if we tried.
Because religion is a weighty conversation, and it’s especially more convoluted today when so much of it has been tarnished. Still, the care and compassion put into every beat of Wake Up Dead Man operate brilliantly together to make this the strongest of the Knives Out films. But also, as someone who adores light coming in through stained glass windows, I wish Johnson had utilized some of the space more with various frames to touch on the architecture. There’s an understanding today that TV and film are leaning heavily on exposition because people have lost their attention span, and whether that’s something that the network forced into the writer’s room is unclear, but some of the choppier bits could’ve been cut to hone in on the pacing and still tell a worthwhile story.
Overall, it’s an accomplishment to be sure and a worthy addition to the world of whodunnits with strikingly memorable performances and plenty of sharp jabs that are effortless to laugh at.
Related Content: Josh O’Connor Continuously Delivers Exceptional Performances, Proving His Range Is Inimitable
Wake Up Dead Man is now streaming on Netflix.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Netflix