It’s not every day that we get a threequel taking over the streaming charts, let alone one that can even attempt to compete with its predecessors. Or hope to grab a 92% and 94% on both the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and the Popcorn meter—becoming both Certified Fresh and Verified Hot. But all of these things have happened for the newest Netflix original, propelling it to a top spot on the platform.
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Knives Out is back, this time with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The newest caper from director Rian Johnson once again brings together a star-studded cast to tell a story so outlandish that you can’t help but love it. This time, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) finds himself at a small church in sleepy upstate New York, where a murder “dressed as a miracle” has taken place. Joined by local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), the two must solve the case, and either confirm or deny whether a young priest (Josh O’Connor) is the killer. The cast also includes Josh Borlin, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, and many more big names. When asked about working with a cast as incredible as Wake Up Dead Man’s, Johnson said, “Every single day on set with this ensemble, I would blink and be astounded that we talked these people into showing up. The experience of making these movies and the chemistry between these incredible actors is the key to why we love doing them. You get great actors together, you let them hang out, and games will ensue.”
Wake Up Dead Man Is A Killer Good Time
Audiences and critics alike love the film, with both groups singing its praises. Alan French of Sunshine State Cineplex says, “Wake Up Dead Man is Johnson’s most intricate examination of humanity and the lengths we’re willing to go for others. It’s perhaps the quietest Knives Out film of the bunch, but it might be the most rewarding.” Justin Chang of the New Yorker agrees, saying, “Johnson is saved, so to speak, by his refusal of condescension; he’s fastidiously committed to taking seriously the things that many others don’t, whether they be mysteries as a genre or mysteries of faith.”
Talking about the feel of this film, Johnson spoke about getting back to the roots of Knives Out: “It’s more similar to the first Knives Out in that it gets back to the real origins of the genre, which predate Agatha Christie, going back to Edgar Allan Poe. It’s still a Benoit Blanc mystery, so it’s funny and fun, but it’s set in an old stone church, there are lots of graveyards.” He went on to describe Wake Up Dead Man as both “grounded” and “gothic.”
Did you enjoy Wake Up Dead Man? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other film fans are saying.
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A Nintendo 64 console over a collage of game box art from the system's library. -
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Image courtesy of Virgin Films
