When you hear the name Benoit Blanc, there's something about it that makes you feel confident that you can expect a mystery to be fully revealed. The mystery is so exciting that while watching you want to catch every word and detail. You know you need to relax (but not relax), put your phone down, and immerse yourself in a good puzzle you're trying to solve – along with Benoit Blanc.
Rian Johnson's new film in the series, Wake Dead: Knives Out, is not a boring walkabout, and it's unlike any of the previous films (though they were good, too). It's a brilliant and witty thriller that asks you to start compiling a list of suspects. Use a whiteboard, math equations and a bit of self-reflection as the film delves into politics, generational trauma and religious faith as opposed to good old fashioned logic.
Josh O'Connor plays young Reverend Jud Dupletisi, a good-natured former boxer who still struggles with his past – he often remembers killing someone in the ring, which is the reason he turned to the priesthood. The film takes place in a small town in upstate New York, where Jud is sent after he gets in trouble for punching a priest (yes, on the job). O'Connor brings a disarming and personable quality to the role that puts you at ease but also reminds you that his hands can be weapons.
Upon arriving on his church assignment, he meets Monsignor Josh Brolin Jefferson Weeks (the title of monsignor is very important), who takes his job very seriously. Their first conversation, both funny and surprising, shows you exactly what kind of person Weeks is, and you either believe he will become a victim or top the list of suspects. He is the kind of priest who delivers sermons with saliva, rage and harsh condemnations flying out of his mouth at the same time to his flock, earning himself fans and enemies. The cast includes Kerry Washington as local lawyer Vera, Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharpe, Cailee Spaeny (who plays a former cellist), Glenn Close as an extremely zealous church member and former The hot priest himself, Andrew Scottlike a failed author.
What does Jude do with blood on his hands?
They're all into Weeks for different reasons. We spend some time with all of them, learning about the church, its religious customs, and who is who and in front of whom, when the monsignor drops dead in the middle of a church service.
Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc, who appears midway through the film after being called to help with a murder investigation. He allows Jud to team up with him to track down the killer, even though the guilt-ridden cleric is himself a suspect. The investigation begins with a reference to Agatha Christie's book The Empty Man.
Craig is compelling with his Southern dialect and deadpan detective, while Brolin and O'Connor make compelling polar-opposite priests. But we also get the terribly funny – and sometimes scary – performance from Glenn Close that you saw in the trailer, as her character, Martha, is disgusted that kids keep painting rocket ships in the graveyard grounds.
The film's narrative critiques exploitative and manipulative forms of religion while also offering more grounded, genuine human perspectives through its characters. There is a play of light and dark in the cinematography that serves as both comic relief and a subtle nod to religious themes.
Detective Blanc asks questions of the suspects, himself and, winkingly, the audience. The monsignor had secrets, a rumored inherited fortune, devoted fans and resentful haters. Who's to blame for this Scooby-Dooby-Doo-like mystery?
Everything is at a dead end.
Can you help solve this impossible crime? The twists and turns in the story will keep you distracted by the investigation, so even if you can't, you'll be drawn into what the hell happened.
Netflix's Wake Dead: Mystery of the Knives will be released in theaters on November 26th and on streaming services on December 12th.
