Movie Review: ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ (Second Opinion)

Plot: The third of director Rian Johnson’s mystery thrillers involving the intrepid detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), Wake Up Dead Man finds the debonair sleuth investigating a murder at a rural parish in upstate New York. When Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) is murdered in a seemingly impossible manner, young and troubled Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) becomes the prime suspect. Convinced that Father Jud is innocent, Blanc sets out to find the real killer. Before long it becomes clear that the list of people holding a grudge against Wicks is legion. Could it be the alcoholic local doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner)? The bitter and high strung attorney Vera Draven (Kerry Washington)? Local sci-fi author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott)? Or perhaps disabled former concert pianist Simone (Cailee Spaeny)? Moreover, could Wicks have been resurrected in an example of a bonafide miracle? In the end, Blanc must utilize all of his considerable skills to distinguish between the rational and the supernatural.

Review: As of 2025, there have been upwards of 300 appearances of Sherlock Holmes in film and television. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Holmes is the most portrayed literary character across those entertainment mediums. That’s quite impressive for a character that first graced the world 138 years ago. I bring this up because there is something about the enduring power of a great mystery. Humans instinctually desire to clarify the chaos, to solve the inexplicable, to ascribe meaning towards the deepest mysteries of life. In the same way nature abhors a vacuum, humans can’t help but solve a puzzle. The thrill is in putting those pieces together and the ultimate feeling of elation when the picture finally reveals itself.

Perhaps that’s why I adore Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc films. He’s a man who kneels at the alter of Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and John D. MacDonald. Like those aforementioned authors, the mystery category abounds with a variety of subgenres – everything from the absurd to the abjectly horrifying. With Wake Up Dead Man, the director/screenwriter forays into the realm of the supernatural, with Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage, and most especially John Dickson’s Carr’s The Hollow Man, heavy influences. The result is another brilliantly crafted and thematically rich film that’s humorous, heartbreaking, and wildly entertaining.

Since the ultimate delight in these films stems from unraveling the mystery, I’ll endeavor to keep plot details at a premium. Suffice it to say that Johnson script’s is simply sublime with the mystery unfolding in a series of twists, turns, and shocking revelations that had me guessing until the final act reveal. I’m in awe of how someone can craft such an intricate and nuanced mystery without it coming across convoluted. Everything makes logical and rationale sense and dovetails perfectly with the overall themes of Wake Up Dead Man. (This held especially true on the re-watch, as I typically watch Johnson’s Benoit Blanc films twice.) Perhaps someday I’ll be able to figure our a Benoit Blanc mystery before the end, but as Aragorn said in The Return of the King, “It is not this day.”

As with the previous films, Wake Up Dead Man sports an all-star cast that should receive a nomination for the inaugural “Achievement In Casting” award at next year’s Oscars. Talented artists always gravitate toward other talented artists and Rian Johnson is no exception. In fact part and parcel of the Benoit Blanc series is the fact that the cast tends to be a “who’s who” of Hollywood star power. Industry staple Glenn Close shines the brightest with her Martha being a staunch supporter of Wicks and a Catholic hardliner. The always exceptional Andrew Scott garners several laughs as science fiction writer Lee Ross who left New York City to “unplug from the liberal hive mind.” There’s a Big Lebowski call back involving Lee towards the end of the film that had me rolling. Jeremy Renner is maybe the most vulnerable and broken he’s ever been on screen, with his Dr. Nat Sharp a truly pathetic character. However, it was relative newcomer Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders) who really stood out as a Gen Z YouTuber, influencer, and failed politician who worships at Wicks’ cult of personality. He sees everything as an opportunity to record and upload for engagement and likes.

Any Benoit Blanc mystery warrants a great villain, and whoo boy do we get a great one in Josh Brolin’s Monsignor Wicks. I say this with no hyperbole, I have never hated a character played by Josh Brolin more than I did his character in Wake Up Dead Man. Recalcitrant, manipulative, narcissistic, and vindicative, Wicks represents everything that’s wrong with the organized Christian religion. Indeed, it was clearly the intent of Johnson that Wicks be a stand-in for the worst the Christian religion has to offer: misogyny, homophobia, using religion as a justification for horrific acts, divisiveness, otherization, and violent rhetoric. You know – basically everything Jesus Christ didn’t stand for.

Thankfully, Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud makes for a great foil to Brolin’s Wicks. If Wicks represents the worst Christianity has to offer than Father Jud represents the best. In a back story ripped from The Quiet Man, Father Jud is a former boxer who killed a man in the ring. Jud is someone who truly listens to people and recognizes that Christ came to heal the broken (like him) and bring peace to the world. When early on a Bishop tries to tell Jud that a priest’s duty is to fight the world because the world is a wolf, Jud respectfully replies, “You start fighting wolves, and before you know it, everyone you don’t understand is a wolf.” Jud represents the epitome of what it means to extend grace to others. I was particularly moved by a scene about halfway through the film where a conversation between Jud and a potential parishioner shifts from annoyance to grace. O’Connor is truly phenomenal in Wake Up Dead Man. With last year’s Challengers, this film, and next year’s Spielberg movie Disclosure Day, the future is bright for Mr. O’Connor.

Hard to believe that I’ve gotten this far into my review without talking about Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. I just love this damn character. The Foghorn Leghorn Southern drawl, the outfits, the mannerisms, the swagger – over the course of three films thus far, Craig has made this character his own. Interestingly, Craig’s Blanc doesn’t even make an appearance until about forty minutes into the film but when he does, it’s in a noteworthy fashion. As an atheist and a detective that “kneels at the altar of rationality” Blanc makes for a great pairing with Father Jud. They’re polar opposites but they still respect each other. Jud challenges Blanc in unexpected ways, particularly when it comes to Craig’s delight in gratifying his own ego and getting his “checkmate moment.” In fact Craig’s character possesses a distinct arc in Wake Up Dead Man that was unexpected but entirely welcome.

What makes these Knives Out stories so compulsively watchable is how they exceed the trappings of the common mystery movie. As with previous films, Wake Up Dead Man addresses heady issues. There’s a conversation going on here about the cult of personality and the cancer of Christian Nationalism that permeates churches (especially American ones) worldwide. The problems going on at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude is just a microcosm of what’s happening to the church at large. Yes the Catholic Church is on display here but you could easily extend it to any Christian denomination or any faith. It’s also a commentary about faith versus rationality and how they don’t need to be diametrically opposed. Additionally, Wake Up Dead Man explores the good that can come when you lead with empathy, grace, and compassion – and the devastating consequences when those things are lacking. Moreover, there’s a surprising amount of levity in Wake Up Dead Man with the humor landing about 99% of the time. I especially loved the needle drop of not one, but two classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals involving Blanc.

Furthermore, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the impeccable technical aspects of this film. As I mentioned previously, I always watch these films twice because on the second viewing I pick up on the cinematic wonders Johnson cooks up. How Rian Johnson uses the camera via cinematographer Steve Yedlin is truly a sight to behold. What Yedlin and Johnson choose to focus on demonstrates that every choice is meticulous and intentional. I particularly loved the decision to move from a one shot to a two shot or vice versa seamlessly. Johnson wants the action to take place in camera rather than resorting to quick cuts. I particularly loved Johnson’s use of light and shadow in this film with Father Jud and Benoit Blanc’s first encounter a standout. It all pairs perfectly with Nathan Johnson’s score which feels more akin to an atmospheric, horror film via A24 than a mystery thriller. I’d also go so far as to say that the final shot of Wake Up Dead Man is my favorite of the year.

The only thing I absolutely detest about these Benoit Blanc mysteries is that they have to end. I sincerely hope both Johnson and Craig continue to churn out these films for years to come. As long as they keep producing at a level this high, I’ll be wide awake and watching.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

Masterpiece

Wake Up Dead Man: 9/10