WAKE UP DEAD MAN is the third installment in Rian Johnson’s series of post-ironic murder mysteries, and Johnson is again bringing modern thematic sensibilities to the tropes of the hoary old detective subgenre. While WAKE UP DEAD MAN may not bring anything novel for newcomers to the series, it’s a treat for KNIVES OUT fans, serving as a corrective for the excesses of GLASS ONION and imbuing the story with meaningful resonance for contemporary Christian politics.
The film starts by immediately rectifying one of the mistakes of GLASS ONION by returning Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to his rightful status as a supporting character. WAKE UP DEAD MAN starts with the better part of an hour focused entirely on Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud Duplenticy, a young Catholic priest sent to rejuvenate the parish of Chimney Rock in Maine. Through Jud’s eyes, we get to understand the thematic preoccupations of the narrative, learn the context of the small church, and meet the diverse cast of suspects. It’s a bold and refreshing way to introduce the mystery before Benoit Blanc is brought on to the case. Where GLASS ONION promoted Craig’s detective to main character in a way that diluted him and made him more like a broad caricature, WAKE UP DEAD MAN returns Blanc to the supporting status that he held alongside Ana de Armas’ character in KNIVES OUT in a way that strengthens the character overall.
“The theme feels urgent and important at a time when American (and British) neo-fascism is using the language of Christianity to justify political violence and making martyrs of un-Christ-like men.”
The focus on Father Jud allows Johnson to set out the film’s themes early. In an opening scene, Jud reacts strongly to the suggestion from an elder priest that the world is a wolf that the church needs to be on guard against. Jud argues that the church has become too preoccupied with fighting against the secular world instead of offering compassion and support. This distinction between forms of Catholicism is further represented by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), the fire-and-brimstone priest who leads Jud’s new church by shaming new attendees and calcifying his dwindling flock. Through Wicks, we see the twisted version of Christianity that the global right has weaponised for repression and judgement and we see the radicalising impact that this version of Catholicism has had on the church parishioners: Glenn Close’s secretive church secretary; Daryl McCormack’s aspiring right-wing influencer and his put-upon mother played by Kerry Washington; Jeremy Renner’s despondent town doctor; Andrew Scott’s bitter sci-fi author; and Cailee Spaeny’s former cellist desperate for a miracle to cure her chronic pain.
“Despite these heavy themes around faith, WAKE UP DEAD MAN still brings the twists, turns, and humour of the series, constructing an elaborate and fun murder mystery in the tradition of Christie, Poe, and especially The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr.”
For all the film’s satirical jabs at various elements of contemporary US culture, WAKE UP DEAD MAN’s focus on Christianity and faith wouldn’t work without Josh O’Connor’s extraordinary balance of Johnson’s postmodern ironic tone with a sense of genuine sincerity about the power of compassion and the importance of following Jesus’ teachings. O’Connor grounds and carries the films as both an introduction to the context of the mystery and as the Watson to Benoit Blanc’s Holmes once the central impossible murder takes place. In the middle of the film, there’s a heartbreaking scene where O’Connor switches from ironic detachment to deep sincerity mid-shot when someone tangential to the case suddenly asks him to pray for her, and he realises that the game of the whodunnit is leading him to attack rather than protect his parishioners. O’Connor plays it magnificently, bringing a softness and sensitivity that truly sells the film’s message about what Christianity can be at its best, when it is embedded in the message of Christ rather than right-wing Old Testament distortions. The theme feels urgent and important at a time when American (and British) neo-fascism is using the language of Christianity to justify political violence and making martyrs of un-Christ-like men.
Despite these heavy themes around faith, WAKE UP DEAD MAN still brings the twists, turns, and humour of the series, constructing an elaborate and fun murder mystery in the tradition of Christie, Poe, and especially The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr. Daniel Craig continues to have a great time playing the eccentric detective, and the very good supporting cast brings a touch less satirical excess than was present in GLASS ONION. The editing and cinematography are whip-smart, making fun use of match cuts and using lighting to great symbolic and emotional effect. Rian Johnson continues to prove that it is possible to make stylish and entertaining blockbusters that hark back to the classics and still have weighty and meaningful themes. Craig and Johnson have both said that they’re happy to continue making these films as long as they’re both involved. Hopefully, this leads to many more films of this level of depth and fun.